I've visited Italy a few times- Rome, Florence, Venice and some small towns in Tuscany. I'm interested in a recommendation for another part to visit. I'll have about a week, coming from Vienna and I will not have a car. I can fly but the train would also be an option (at least to Northern Italy). I'd prefer to stay in 1 place, and take day trips by train or bus. Thanks.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Bologna. Interesting city, great transportation links (Ravenna, Parma, Modena), great food. Reasonable prices for everything.
Posted by
OP
Denver, CO
84 posts
Thanks Zoe, I will look into it.
Posted by
Washington DC
27230 posts
Agree that Bologna is a great base for exploration as well as worth visiting itself. Two other very interesting cities accessible by train within 90 minutes are Padua and Vicenza.
Posted by
11235 posts
The Dolomites are incredibly beautiful with a distinct cultural mix. We had a car and then traveled to Lake Garda and the next day on to Bologna which I also highly recommend.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15269 posts
Which time of the year? Summer? Winter? Spring? And what do you like? Cities? Mountains? Lakes? Small towns? Wine country?
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15607 posts
Bologna is perfect since it has an airport. I stayed mid-way between the historic center and the train station, about 10 minutes' walk to either. Lots of places to explore that are an hour or less by train (but do go to Ravenna, even though it's a little farther away, it is wonderful), then back to the hotel for a change and a rest and out for a leisurely dinner. There are lots of international students at this university town but it doesn't have the major sights that other towns have so it doesn't get a lot of tourists.
Where are you going from there? If you're flying home, consider spending a couple nights in Orvieto and flying back from Rome. It's easy enough to get to Termini by fast train, as long as you don't have an early morning flight out of FCO.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
If you do stay in Bologna, in addition the Parma, Modena, and Ravenna, you should also visit Ferrara, which is very nice and interesting (nearly as many bicycles as Amsterdam or Copenhagen, it seemed!)
I'm not sure if you could find enough of interest for one week without a car, but Turin is very interesting for a few days, and very different from other parts of Italy.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Torino has some nice places for daytrips (Asti comes to mind). Ivrea is about an hour away by train, Aosta is about two hours.
Posted by
OP
Denver, CO
84 posts
Thanks acraven for the info on nearby cities.
Thanks Suki, I checked a train schedule from Vienna, it looks like the route goes south from Innsbruck, so I'd be going through the Dolomites region and could stop there.
Hi Roberto, I'll be there winter time, I prefer to be in a city or small town, just looking to chill out with great food and red wine.
Hi Chani, I've seen many major sites in Italy, just looking for a place to relax. I may take the train (or fly) to Italy round trip from Vienna.
Thanks Harold, with all the great suggestions it sounds like I have plenty to see without needing a car. Does Turin have a French influence, based on geography?
Hi Zoe, How would you compare staying in Torino vs. Bologna and the surrounding cities?