Help with itinerary?

Jt,

I notice that Florence isn't on the list. That would be one possibility after Bologna. Other locations.....

• Verona - well worth a short visit, but in summer it's going to be hot and crowded especially as that will be Opera season.
• Ravenna - a beautiful smaller city and the mosaics are impressive.
• Siena - you could do that as a day trip from Florence, but depending on which part of "summer" you'll be there, you may want to avoid Siena during the Palio.
• Padova - that could also be a day trip or you could spend a few days there.

I suspect that wherever you go in Italy in "summer", it's going to be touristy so you'll have to tolerate that.

Verona is worth a full day and Vicenza is worth perhaps 1/2 a day. Depending on your interest of course. Both can be done as quick day trips from Venice. TC

We've seen Siena and Florence and prefer to avoid those kinds of crowds. Verona is always recommended to us but, frankly, i am not sure it's the time of year for it. Is Ravenna any cooler in the summer months? It's on the sea right?

Ravenna is just a little inland from the sea (the Lido di Ravenna is about ten minutes away). I've been there in the heat of summer and it's fine. Some of the major streets have arcades similar to Bologna (but not as extensive). I love Ravenna, go back at least every other year. I like to stay at Hotel Byron Carlysle (or Carlysle Byron?), which is next door to an excellent restaurant, La Bella Venezia.

Ferrara would be another good place. In addition to the Castello, Duomo and major museum, there are lovely walks away from the Centro Storico to other sights. The charming Hotel Corte Estense is off the main street of the Centro Storico, has a small courtyard, and the staff is very helpful. An excellent restaurant with typical regional dishes is Cusina e Butega, on the main street around the corner from Hotel Corte Estense.

Both of these cities are well known to tourists, but manage to maintain their integrity as places where people live and work.

On this thread and your earlier, related questions, you have both posed and received many suggestions for town destinations. I like Rick's guidebook because it's opinionated and selective, but it probably doesn't cover every spot on your list. A Michelin Green Guide for the region can also provide a starred rating system for more towns, to help narrow down the options, also with some photos. The regional versions (such as Tuscany or Veneto) cover more small towns than does the full-country Italy book.