Leaving for Italy in about 10 days. Had both Bologna and Turrin on our itinerary and as usual picked up a copy of Rick Steves Italy to take as a reference. To our amazement neither one was listed in his book.. So.....to confirm/adjust our current itinerary we are reaching out to our valued fellow travelers. Bologna and Turrin. To be or not to be? Many, many thanks in advance.
Richard and Mary Shaw
Chicago
I would suggest that the places not mentioned in the RS travel guides are often some of the best places. RS focuses on places he likes but these might not be places you like. I also think that the places he lists often become RS-ified, as in tons of people holding the RS guides, wearing money belts and vests with a lot of pockets.
I have spent a week in Bologna and would happily return for the food alone.
Don’t change your trip. We would choose Bologna over Florence any time. And my sister, who has lived in Italy and returns frequently, loves Turin.
Neither will be as packed with tourists as the “big three” ( Venice, Florence and Rome).
We spent 4 or 5 days in Bologna last year, and wished we had had more time. We hope to visit Turin some day, as well.
Doesn’t Rick Steves just include the places his tours go? His guide books are not comprehensive at all, very limited in scope!
Bologna is one of our favorite cities in Europe, not just Italy! And Turin/ Torino is in the Piemonte region, another big favorite of ours. We loved staying near Alba and visiting the surrounding wine villages such as La Morra and Barolo.
You need to look at regional or country guides from sources other than Rick Steves! DK Eyewitness Guides, Fodors, Rough Guide, etc.
Do not drop Bologna nor Turin/ Torino from your itinerary!
Torino is fabulous! The National Museum of the Automobile not to be missed. Loved La Venaria Reale, a Savoy Palace https://lavenaria.it/ .
Great food; some of the best, in fact.
It's kind of nice that the RS books don't mention these two gems. We went to both places in 2014.
Just buy a Lonely Planet Italy guide, do some online research, and you'll have a great time.
I wouldn't change, either as they're both great places to visit. Bologna seems to be gaining in popularity and there have been several recent postings on the city and the surrounding area. I'm sure a search on Turin would also turn up enough information to keep you going there for a few days.
Go to both! I agree that the Auto Museum in Turin is worth a visit. We also hiked to a monastery at the top of a mountain which was really neat (Sacra di San Michele).
It's a landslide. Thanks everybody. We will spent time in both.
