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Emilia Romagna Region - Where to stay!

I am trying to find a good base to stay in while in the Emilia Romagna Region for 5 days and 4 nights. We want to explore Bologna, Modena, Parma, Ravenna, San Marino, and Ferrara. I am an avid cook and gardener, and we plan all of our trips around food! Last year in Tuscany, we stayed in a small village (with a couple of restaurants, a bakery, and some shops) near Sienna so we could drive to all of the fun villages, and absolutely loved it. We'd like to do the same in this region. I know train travel is accessible, but we'd also like to hike and trails can be hard to access by train. We also really want to take a cooking class. I was trying to find a place outside of Bologna, closer to the coast. I found a couple of neat Bed and Breakfasts, but they are all about an hour away from Bologna and I think from what I've read, they're 30 minutes away from any kind of shop. We'd like to be able to access restaurants or cafes easily. Does anyone have any suggestions on where we should base? I am totally stuck and maybe just putting too much thought into it at this point. Would love any suggestions!!!

Posted by
7179 posts

This does not match up with your past memories, but I used to go to Reggio Emilia for business. It's a stone town, with plenty of restaurants and a weekly market. I liked it very much, and you can walk to the train station from anywhere in town. But it is not, even slightly, "rural." Do they have an evening Passeggiata in your Tuscan village? FWIW, there is more than one kind of contemporary Italian local life!

Do you really plan to drive into places like Bologna? Even without the driving restrictions, that would be crazy, especially in high season.

Posted by
5 posts

No, we wouldn’t drive into Bologna, I know that there are ZTL and only locals can drive around the city. We’d use the train for that! We more want the ability to go to all the tiny villages that aren’t necessarily accessible by train. And we want to go hiking! Thank you for the suggestion!! I have looked into Reggio Emilia, and will revisit this option!

Posted by
2047 posts

There are some nice Airbnbs in Reggio Emilia with parking and washers. We looked into staying there this March. We have visited Reggio Emilia several times and enjoy it’s non touristy atmosphere. Plus the food is also great!

Posted by
95 posts

I'm in the Emilia Romagna area about 6 months a year. I personally don't like Reggio Emilia in comparison with other towns. Bologna is my favorite and there are parking lots that you can access without fear of ZTL zone. I live in Vignola which is a beautiful small town and I travel and run on the weekends. Imola is one of my favorites. Places that I really like are Parma, Rimini and Piacenza. I've visited Ferrara and Modena also. Ravenna is awesome with the mosaics. The region is known for its food and there are lots of tours available.

Posted by
15041 posts

Based on where you want to visit I would stay in Bologna’s city center, not too far from the Centrale station. Piazza Maggiore is the heart of the city center, the station is at the northern end of the city center.
Do a search on a search engine. Any place near Piazza Maggiore or immediately north of it to be closer to the station, would be my choice. If the Metropolitan hotel has a good deal within your budget for your dates, that would be my top choice (not cheap, but top notch for a 4 star hotel).

Posted by
305 posts

We just got back from Italy on Monday hit all the places you're planning on visiting. We spent 6 nights in Bologna at Albergo Centrale and used it as a base to visit all those places. Just off Piazza Maggiore. We liked it, but WiFi was very inconsistent. We trained to all the towns. We liked them all, but Parma and Ravenna were our favorites.

Posted by
396 posts

I like to stay at Hotel San Donato in Bologna on via Zamboni. Close to walk to most things..Piazza Maggiore and Neptunes fountain, San Petrino church, etc. Bologna has wonderful food! I haven't taken a cooking class there but I have in Lucca and loved it.