In 2 weeks my daughter and I are flying to Milan and we are staying in Reggio Emilia where she will be attending school. The first week we are busy sightseeing but the second week I am pretty much on my own. Does anyone have some ideas what I could be doing? I do have a car and I do not mind taking day trips by train. I booked 1 cooking class so far in Bologna. I am interested in many things except shopping . Thank you
Posted by
North Carolina
2504 posts
I would suggest visiting Ravenna to see the mosaics, and Faenza, for the ceramics museum.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Maranello is close by, and the Ferrari Museum is fantastic. Modena, of course, home of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. See if you can get a tour of a facility. Modenatur has some offerings. I think they do English tours, too, as they helped organize a mountain junket for us through Trekking Italy.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
8083 posts
We actually went all the way back to Florence from Reggio, for a tour we discovered during our vacation days preceeding the stop in Reggio. It's a lovely small city, with a nice passeggiata on the main street in the evening. There's a tiny art museum, I think in the town hall or adjacent mansion. There is an operating replica of a baroque theater in town, which used to be known for dance attractions. I haven't been there in years. It was rare to meet an English-speaking tourist. There are lots of good restaurants, I remember especially pizza, with a small group that had the word "Condor" in their names, and picture of the bird on the sign.
There used to be an excellent weekly outdoor market in Reggio Emilia. Naturally parmiggiano is a major part of it. I just ran across this page:
http://www.initaly.com/regions/erm/markets.htm
We found the train station in Reggio to be easily walkable, but of course it depends on exactly where you are staying. It's probably too late to make a reservation for The Last Supper, but I consider Milan an acceptable full-day outing from Reggio. Your daughter could eat dinner by herself one night ...
When you go through Bologna, be sure to go outside the train station and look at the chiseled plaque memorializing the victims of the 1980 bombing there. It's funny how posts on the internet swivel between believing that the U.S. is a special victim of terrorism, and that Europe is too dangerous to visit, compared with the U.S.
Posted by
OP
Fulda Germany and Rhode Island USA
334 posts
Thank you very much for all the great suggestions. I will look at the airport as I am taking the train to Bologna! Either way I am sure it will be exciting no matter what I get to see and do.
Posted by
Boston
1816 posts
Parma is a great city to visit and so close. The Duomo and Baptistry are among the best in Italy, and include Antelemi's realistic 900 year old sculptures. There's a National Museum of Archeology and the wooden Farnese Theater with a perspective stage. It would also be the place to treat yourself to a good restaurant as the food is unbelievable.
There are castles nearby - Torrechiara, Vigolena, Fontenellato with a camera oscura, and a little further away the castle town Castel'Arquato. If you like opera, Verdi's town of Busseto is near.