Visiting Emilia Romagna

Although RS doesn't include Bologna in his guide book, we thought it was a good base to explore the region. My wife and I based there for 5 nights. We went to Modena, Ravenna and did a food tour of the region and explored Bologna over a couple of days. We used trains to get around the region. The food tour was through ItalianDays and was a lot of fun. They picked us up at our hotel and did all of the driving.

https://www.italiandays.it/tour-item/italian-days-food-experience-bologna-day-tour/

Bologna is the regional capitol and features a lot of what the region is known for....food. Theres also a lot of accommodation options and being a major college town, there's a youthful vibe that other places don't have. I've stayed here multiple times, usually at least 2-3 nights, most people will spend no more than 2-nights.

For noted historical sight-seeing, Ravenna has tons of sites highlighted by the various mosaics, having formerly been the capitol of the Western Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire. If anyone ever wondered about what things were like after Rome fell, they should come here. Ferrara, unique for its castle surrounded by a moat, surrounded by a wall, came to prominence during the ages leading up to the Renaissance. 2-nights each is fine.

Parma and Modena are mini-versions of Bologna, each has their charms however, they're also smaller and less lively compared to Bologna. Stay in one, day trip to the other.

These are the most prominent locations, there's others smaller locations and areas. The tiny micro country of San Marino is just South of Ravenna, a day trip to check it out and get your passport stamped is a fun excuse to visit the mountain top country.

We loved Ravenna, but Bologna was just OK. I wouldn't rank it in the top 20 of places in Italy that I have visited.

In one of our visits to Emilia-Romagna, we stayed in Parma, Bologna, and Ravenna for about 5 nights each, and took trains to Modena and Faenza. I think if I were you, I would stay in Parma and Ravenna, and do daytrips by train to the other places. Faenza is to go to the ceramics museum. The food in Ravenna is quite different. You can also easily get to Ferrara by train --- Ferrara has its own cuisine, too. Well, all these places do, but we really noticed it in Ravenna and Ferrara. We also visited a castle we really enjoyed, Torrechiara, by taking a bus from Parma.

Bologna is actually one of my favorite cities in Italy which is why I am in Vignola now (a small town between Modena and Bologna). It is the easiest way to reach any place in northern Italy. Parma is beautiful. I go to Ravenna every year and the mosaics are beyond description. Ferrara is also nice to visit. Modena is my least favorite although my husband likes the Ferrari museum. Imola is a small town quite close to Bologna and we found it interesting. You can of course find wine, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto and wine in Emilia Romagna. I have a friend that does e-bike tours in the area... a nice way to sample some local foods and see the beautiful scenery. I would not use Ravenna as a base.