Thing to do in Bologna and suggested day trips?

Possible day trips: Ravenna, Ferrara, Modena, Parma…

Sign up for a tour of the food towns Modena
( balsamic vinegar) and Parma( parmesan cheese)

We will be in Emilia-Romagna same time period with plans mainly focused on food.

FYI the F1 Grand Prix of Italy is taking place in Imola (45 minutes east of Bologna) the weekend of 19-21 May. My understanding is that the crowds from the event will likely make Bologna itself high in demand as it is the closest place for accommodation.

https://www.autodromoimola.it/f1-gp-imola/?lang=en

Eat. Anywhere. Have coffee at a bar under the porticoes. Watch old guys argue politics in Piazza Maggiore. Window shop. Enjoy.

Thanks for everybody’s comments. Do you have any additional suggestions for other cities to visit by rail (i.e., day trip)?

Tour both the Ferrari and Lamborghini museums - I thought they would be boring, but they were fun. Also try to tour Acetum balsamic vinegar factory. I believe they are open to the public now. In Bologna make sure you hit the Mercato delle erbe.

You could go to Ravenna twice.

Check this out: https://www.italiandays.it/

It has been recommended often on this Forum, and we enjoyed it last year. From the website:

• Pick up and drop off from your location in a confortabile
  air-conditioned Minivan (NO BUS)

• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Factory – Breakfast of Champions & Coffee
  – Parmigiano cheese tastings

• Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena – minimum 12 and 25 year-old
  Balsamic Vinegar tastings

• Prosciutto Factory – Tastings & Wine

• Italian family style multi-course lunch with wine pairing and a looot
  of fun!!

We had a wonderful time; Alessandro is an amazing tour leader: funny, knowledgeable, with very good English. We only had one complaint; at the prosciutto factory Alessandro handed the tour over to an assistant, who frankly wasn't up to the task. He had memorized his spiel, but his English was not up to answering questions or elaborating on any points.

But other than that, the tour was fantastic, well worth the time and the price. I would gladly do it again. Oh, the Breakfast of Champions? Lots of food, and an amazing amount of wine. Yes, for breakfast.

Florence is a day trip away. I believe just 30 minutes by train.

I personally enjoyed a few business trips to Reggio Emilia. But it is not historic like Bologna. It's a subtle version of a "Rick Steves Moment", with contented small- city dwellers in a European Welfare State. I particularly remember the Pizza. Check if Market Day is still Saturday?

Good town art museum, operating replica baroque theater. Famous for an elementary education style, but not my topic!

My wife and I just spent five lovely days in Bologna. The best part of Bologna, we found, is simply wandering the city and taking in its energy, vitality and character. The university area is neat to explore, as is the quadriletero, especially early mornings before the crowds arrive. The Via del Pratello, approximately ten minutes from the city center, is a charming street at dusk or later in the evening. Stroll its porticos or cobblestones and stop for a drink to soak in the atmosphere.

We also enjoyed walking to the Sanctuary of San Luca under the longest portico in the world. The climb takes approximately one hour and the ascent is long and gradual rather than steep. The views from the Sanctuary over the surrounding countryside are splendid. We also liked the Biblioteca dell'Archiginnasio, the ancient library, with its anatomical theater. There's also a wonderful restaurant, the Serre dei Giardini Margherita, which is located in the Margherita Garden. It's a cool spot, where they've converted greenhouses into workspaces and a restaurant. Walk off your lunch by strolling the park and then stopping for gelato at either Cremaria Santo Stefano or La Sorbetteria Castiglione on your way back to town. All in all, we loved Bologna.

Good suggestions above. I will add the clock tower climb—-reservations required, but you can usually make them the day before.

https://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/experiences/300685/Visit-to-the-Clock-Tower--Torre-dell-Orologio--and-to-the-Municipal-Art-Collections

We went at 10 am and had it all to ourselves. Note that you have to sign a waiver before ascending the very last set of steps; they are very steep and narrow.

I went on a tour of the Ducati factory, I thought it would suck but I really enjoyed it. J