Parma in March

pack gloves and a scarf and hat. You may not need them but I have been in a snowstorm in Bologna in March.

Might be easier to base in Bologna and take daytrips to Parma and Verona; as I recall, Bologna has more arcaded streets than the other two cities, in case of inclement weather. It also has more sights.

In addition to Parma, Verona and Bologna, two other very worthwhile cities in the area are Ravenna and Ferrara. How many days do you have?

We visited Parma in March of this year. It is a nice town but fairly small and as I recall, the weather was pleasant with temps in the 50s. Unless you really want to stay in Parma, we prefer Verona so I'd suggest staying in Verona and taking day trips to Bologna and Parma. If you decide to stay in Parma, I recommend Palazzo dalla Rosa Prati, which is located beside the Duomo (www.palazzodallarosaprati.it ). I also suggest eating at Gallo d' Oro. If you decide to stay in Verona, I recommend staying at Hotel Milano, which is close to Piazza Bra, and eating at Ristorante Torcolo (both are mentioned in Rick Steves' "Venice" book.)

I would use Bologna as a home base and take trips to Parma, Modena, Florence, or wherever you like. Bologna has several nice museums and churches. You cannot beat the food either.

We spent one night in Bologna and several nights in Parma this March. We also took a food day long tour from Parma that was awesome. Parma was great to walk around and I loved running along the river. Easy to get to quite a few places from Parma but Bologna is truly a train hub in my opinion. Bologna was convenient for my husband's tour of the Lamborghini factory which he still raves about.

One advantage of basing in Bologna is that it makes Ravenna easily accessible. Ravenna's substantially more than 2 hours from Parma unless you travel at 7:37 AM or 11:46 AM. I haven't been to Parma, though, so for all I know it may be truly fabulous.

Thanks to everyone. Linda, do you have any details about the food tour you took? Joan