After leaving Florence, I want to see Bologna and Parma. My question is should I stay in each town one or two nights, or stay in one town and daytrip to the other.
Is there enough to see and do for 2 days in each town?
I don't know much about either, but my main interest is food!
Thanks for any advice!!
They are close enough that you can easily see one as a daytrip from the other. Because Bologna is bigger and has more to see, it might make sense to choose your hotel in that city, and daytrip to Parma. You'll need two full days in Bologna and one full day in Parma. You travel beween the two cities by train.
If your main interest is food, defnitely base yourself in Bologna. Even the Italians agree it has the best food in the country. Its nickname is "Il Grasso" - The Fat One.
Thanks for your advice!!
Parma is infinitely more charming than Bolgona and you could easily spend two nights in Parma, including the opera at night.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187804-i1486-k1831378-Parma_or_Bologna-Parma_Emilia_Romagna.html
I think Bologna is great and have yet to visit Parma but it is on our list for this fall. If you like art don't miss the Morandi Museum which I believe has a free admission. Bologna was Morandi's home town.
I stayed in Bologna for two nights and visited Ravenna instead of Parma as the train leaves around 7:12 a.m. and the next one leaves later in the morning. Bologna is clean near the city centre; however, everywhere else it is filled with graffiti. It is a shame really to see such a beautiful place destroyed.
March 2009 stayed in bologna for a week and did day trips to parma, modena, and dozza [small medieval village]. this area of italy is all about the food!
found a lovely B&B in the heart of bologna near the opera house/towers and a short distance from the train station...Casa Ilaria. the B&B is an amazing apartment with large bedrooms [4] all w/bath, full kitchen [Ilaria is a fantasitc cook and offers cooking classes], large dining room, living room, wi-fi, etc. we did our tours with her in her personal car to parma, modena, and dozza. she took us on a parma ham factory tour...we were the only ones in the whole place and then had private lunch in the factory's own restaurant. incredible food! see her reviews on trip advisor and details on her website www.casailaria.com. i would recommend this B&B and bologna to anyone...friends/family and even strangers without hesitation. been to italy 5 times and this ranks as one of the best trips. porticoes make bologna a fun place to walk. only down side is the graffiti...look past it and all the rest is great. don't forget the walk to the basilica di san luca atop a nearby mountain. the walk is challenging, but the views take your breadth away.
larry
