Parma vs Bologna, Italy

We're planning on spending just one night in Parma on our trip in June. We're stopping there on our way to Milan from Bagni Di Lucca, near Lucca. From what I read there is a love of good food, which attracts me. I'm interested to see the comments!

I got to see both cities on a tour a few years ago. I only spent the day in Bologna and then spent 3 nights in Parma. I really liked both places. I am assuming you are set on these two options and no others...if you are not, I would look at Siena as a home base. You don't say what your day trip destinations are, so I'm not sure what areas you're focused on. However, limited to Parma and Bologna, I liked Parma a bit more because it felt smaller and more walkable to me. There was a lot to see in Bologna, but it just felt more congested and fast-paced to me. I felt very safe and comfortable in Parma and I happily strolled the city on my own.

I have not considered Soenna but will look into it. In that area we were concentrating on Parma, Modena, Bologna ad Ravenna and then further north to Venice, Padova, Vicenza and Verona.

Bologna is one of the hidden gems in Italy. The Duomo is unique with a funny history, the Two Towers offer an amazing view of the city and the countryside (also with a funny history), best food and gelato in Italy and you could spend half the day roaming the Quadrilatero area, a network of ancinet streets filled with little food shops and stalls.

I'm planning to stay in Modena for 1 night in June (a quick weekend trip)...I didn't look into Parma because it was a bit farther from where we'll be travelling from. I considered Bologna, but we will be driving and I was worried about driving in the city and avoiding the ZLT's. If you are driving for your day trips, you might want to consider this as well. Also, Siena seems much too far away to use as a home base for seeing this area of Italy.

Driving into Bologna is easy, just follow your map or GPS and park close to the train station. You can walk everywhere from there.