We are meeting a group in Parma which will ee our base for 2 weeks. We want to spend the week before exploring. Do we fly into Milano and see Lake Como (Varenne) or fly to Bologna and see Verona?
Which month are you planning to be there? The prices for Verona jump up during opera season. On the other hand, it’s a wonderful experience to attend an opera at the Verona historic Roman arena outside under the stars.
Milan and Bologna are only an hour away from each other. I would pick airports and flights based on price and convenience, not which part of Italy I was headed for afterwards...