Emilia-Romagna

This is just a guess, but I think you may find hotels more expensive in Bologna than in other E-R cities. It seems to attract a lot of business travelers, so spending the weekend there might help. It's worth playing around with some dates on booking.com or your hotel website of choice.

The city's large enough that you'll probably want to be fairly near the historic center.

I stayed in Bologna, and from there took day trips to Parma and Modena, Ferrara, and Ravenna. The only place of these that I didn't like was Bologna (I'm aware that most do like it a lot). One memorable thing in Bologna was climbing the central tower. It's something like 400 steps, but from the top, you can see Bologna's totally intact medieval street plan, with its "bicycle wheel and spokes" layout.

One problem I found was that trains out of Bologna to the other cities often left at "bad" times for day trips. There would be a train at 8:30, and then not another one until 10:30. So, I either had to get up and out earlier than I liked (I was on vacation, after all), or I would have little time in the city before the midday closing (severely cutting into sightseeing of things that closed for several hours for lunch). So, you may want to stay in other places for at least part of the trip; look at train schedules before committing to which cities you'll use as bases.

Central Ferrara is dominated by bicycles (you'll think you're in Amsterdam or Copenhagen). It's also got the remnants of the moat around the castle. Lots of photo opportunities.

To add to the point about Bologna hotel price differences in the post above (weekends vs weekdays), if you are trying to stay in Bologna during a major convention, prices can skyrocket; check hotel prices before finalizing your Bologna stay dates.

In addition to the above, just over the regional border is Mantova, a very interesting city if you have time.

The ducal palace (Palazzo Ducale) in Mantova is a real gem for anyone interested in architectural history or the history of the Gonzaga family.

Thank you all for your input so far. I appreciate it!

I recently spent some time around the Emilia-Romagna, staying in both Ravenna and Bologna. 3-nights in Bologna is enough. 3-nights in Ferrara is more than enough. Parma is a charming town, to consider, and many find it more appealing than Modena.

While in Bologna I stayed at the Albergo Centrale Bologna, simple but, comfortable breakfast buffet included. Room with separate bathroom ran about €55.

I haven't been (yet!), but I'm guessing you would enjoy the international ceramics museum in Faenza.

The ceramics museum in Faenza is quite good; it has some contemporary work as well as older pieces. It's a fair little walk from the train station; be prepared with a paper or electronic map so you can find your way. The tourist office is in the old town, as one would expect, and that area is definitely worth seeing if you decide to go to Faenza for the museum. Otherwise, there are other cities I'd have higher on my priority list.

I appreciate the continued input from you all. Thank you!

I happen to love central Bologna. It is very historical and has great food markets and sites. We wandered around and were amazed by the architecture and liveliness. The national museum is wonderful. Other nearby cities to consider are Modena, Reggio-Emelia and Parma. Reggio has wonderful squares with outdoor cafes, if you are there in the late spring though September. Reggio is nit too touristy, but has the same great cheese, Parma ham etc (i.e., wonderful food).

I think your original proposal of Ferrara and Bologna is a good one but would change the allocation to four days in each city. Ferrara has a wonderful ducal palace, other sites with frescoes (including one in a convent that you access by ringing the bell) and provides convenient transportation to Padua/Vicenza. You could even do a day trip to Venice if so inclined.

Bologna is another fascinating city and the TI provides a free walking tour in English. In addition to historic sites and museums, Bologna has an excellent museum of modern art with an entire sub-museum devoted to Morandi. From Bologna there is easy access by train to other cities previously mention, none the least of which is Parma where you can eat the best ham ever.