Hello folks, due to some unforeseen circumstances my family (2 Adults middle aged - 2 small children 7 and 4) gets to be in Emilia Romagna at the end of November (when the rain has just stopped historicall). We are only there for 6 days (7 if you count the final night - we fly out early in the morning the next day).
Some background. I'm a very seasoned Italian traveler. I usually rent a car and travel through the backroads of Tuscany, Umbria, Puglia, Sicilia, etc. I tend to eschew large cities as I have seen the main ones already (the holy trinity R-F-V, Napoli, Bologna, Milano, Catania, etc etc) but don't mind going to them if warrented. I adore medieval villages and agriturismi.
Any, my itinerary looks like:
Day 1: Parma - Duomo, Baptistry, Theater etc
Day 2: Food tour and small towns: Balsamic, Lambrusco
Day 3: Modena (with Parmigiano tour at 4 Madonne)
Day 4: Ravenna or Bologna. I need your HELP! I have seen Bologna. wasn't my favorite. Kind of reminded me of a larger, flatter perugia for some reason, but I'm willing to give it a second chance. The best food I've had in Italy has been there. But the mosaics of Ravenna, which I have never seen but only studied have been beckoning for decades. Bologna is a 45 minute drive, Ravenna is 1:20 minutes. It makes a difference when you have small kids!
Day 5: Maserati Factory Tour (unlike the other major car manufacturers, Maserati actually lets you see the cars being built) and Verona
Day 6: Lago di Garda - Colombare (with the hot springs).
Day 7: More Verona before heading to Milano to fly out.
It's obviously not the best time of year, but it's how the dice rolled.
My big quesion is... do I give Bologna another chance? I was there for 1 day last time from Florence or do I see Ravenna?
I need your help travelistas!