We are flying in and out of Florence in the Spring and taking our teenagers on their first international trip. My husband and I have been to Florence so while we want to give them a little flavor of the city we then would like to move on to Parma and maybe Venice for a mix of beauty, good food, a possible trip to the Ferrari museum and slower towns. Any thoughts on hotels or VRBOs for two adults and two older teens ( who most definitely want their own beds!)? Rental car or train travel? My husband wants to skip the car (and pressure of driving there which we previously experienced) which would be fine in Florence or Venice but I'm thinking we need one for Parma/Emilia-Romagna region. Thanks!
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7879 posts
Hi, I’ve only been in 1-bedroom small hotels, so I probably don’t have any helpful lodging recommendations for your family.
I’m commenting because it’s very easy to get around in Italy if your husband is not wanting to drive. In the Emilia-Romagna region, I’ve stayed in Parma, Bologna, Ferrara & Ravenna just traveling by train. We both find it much more relaxing just traveling by train.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Hi Jean - thanks for your reply. So no problem going from smaller cities like Parma to Modena, etc. via train? I've definitely done and enjoyed trains in Europe but it was decades upon decades ago and stuck to bigger cities. I know in Tuscany a car was helpful for countryside areas and was thinking that might be the case in E-Romagna. Any of those towns.cities you mentioned visiting that you would recommend over the other? We definitely want to visit some food producers in Parma and maybe hit the Ferrari Museum. Still trying to wrap my head around what to include and the distance from those areas to each other and to Venice. Any tips are appreciated! My experiences are extremely outdated!
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1144 posts
Hello bensonbank4,
The Po valley is flat and easily connected by trains and there is no reason you need a car in this area. If you have one special place that is in the countryside somewhere then you may need to arrange transportation but otherwise a car will generally an expensive distraction. Florence is about 38 minutes from Bologna by fast train and Parma is another hour or so from Bologna and you'll pass through Modena on the train to Parma. Modena and Parma are about 30 minutes on the train so you could easily stay in one and investigate the other.
In Florence we really liked the Relais & Maison Grand Tour https://www.florencegrandtour.com/ and they have several larger rooms and even a whole suite you can rent out. This might work out for your larger group.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7879 posts
Hi! Getting back to you. The trains are very easy in that area. You can look on www.trenitalia.com to see times & cost. Use the Italian names, so Florence is Firenze and Venice is Venezia. Parma, Modena and others are as written in English, also.
If you like mosaics, Ravenna has gorgeous ones! There’s a multi-site ticket for them, and they’re all easy to walk from the train station.
At Parma, I’ve eaten at Forchetta both times I stayed in Parma. An excellent meal very close to the Parma Cathedral. Get reservations. And that cathedral has my favorite interior - stunning frescoes!
Ferrara has an interesting castle with a dungeon to visit in the center of the town. It’s a popular city to ride bikes. We liked the museum with so many interesting artifacts from Spina.
Posted by
872 posts
True about La Forchetta, but our favorite is Da Danilo in Modena.
In and out of Florence, the idea would be to stay there last. Bologna from the SM Novella station is 38 minutes; Venice is 2:21.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you to all for these fantastic recommendations and information. When I last went decades ago, (to Tuscany, Venice and Amalfi Coast) I was on my honeymoon and before that as an art student in college. Very different trips with different interests and considerations than this one! Plus it was at least 20 years ago! This is such a wonderful and helpful community - thanks again to everyone!
Posted by
Massachusetts
1104 posts
In Florence, look at Hotel Torre Guelfa. They have quadruple rooms. I stayed there in October 2023 in a triple room. It was actually a suite with two separate bedrooms and one large bathroom. The also have apartments.
https://www.hoteltorreguelfa.com/en/torre-guelfa-florence/quadruple-room/