My wife and I are thinking of a small side trip through Bologna, Modena, Parma on the way to Milano. Any recommendations for hotels, restaurants and has anyone done this trip on moped? Moped rentals?
Bologna comes up regularly; use the search box at the top right to find earlier discussions of hotels & restaurants
Moped? Do a search here on Rick's for "motorcycle" and you'll find plenty of information on renting various two-wheeled vehicles in Italy. I would never do it. The roads are narrow, drivers are more assertive, you have no protection (unlike when you're in a car).
That being said, we've been to Bologna several times, and I love the city. Hotels there tend to be expensive, because it's a big convention city. We stayed at a B&B that we liked, Il Convento dei Fiori di Seta. And there's a wealth of restaurants! For upscale, we enjoyed Caminetto d’Oro; for a more local experience, we've been several times to Trattoria Leonida. And for lunch, we love Drogheria della Rosa.
Hotel Porta San Mamolo in Bologna.
http://www.hotel-portasanmamolo.it/
I would not recommend the scooter thing at all! The streets in Bologna are very, very busy. If you want to see Modena and Parma too, then rent a car instead. There are car rentals all over the area surrounding the train station. Or better yet, take a train there.
Bologna is a great destination--especially for wonderful dining experiences! We liked staying at Albergo delle Drapperie--it's in the heart of everything and about a 15 minute walk from the train station.