Planning another trip May 2023. Have done a lot of Italy (not Sicily). So far plan is arriving in Torino by train from Paris. 3 days with 1 day to Aosta . Train to Venice 3 nights and then pick up a car to drive to one of either Parma, Modena or Bologna. Our plan is to stay at an agriturismo that makes parmesan cheese and travelling to a place that makes Balsamic Vinegar. (any suggestions in this area would be helpful.
We plan on being in Italy 18 days and do have to revisit Florence, Rome and add Naples (never been before.) Bypassed driving to Amalfi Coast several years ago. Have done the heel and some places on the Adriatic.
With the car we hope to visit some villages the off the beaten track in the Emilia and Romagna regions. (any suggestions would be appreciated)
Posted by
Florida
274 posts
I'm afraid I'm not completely clear on your timeline or "which of the 3" you're asking if we would eliminate?
My understanding is -
Turin/Torino - 3 days (or 3 nights?)
Venice - 3 nights
So I think that leaves you with 12 nights to visit the following:
Either Parma, Modena, or Bologna
Florence
Rome
Naples
Are you flying out of Naples, or will you have to backtrack to get to your departure airport? That would potentially eliminate one night, leaving you with only 11 nights for four different cities. Every time you change cities, you'll loose at least half a day, between packing up, checking out, getting to the train, on the train, getting to your new hotel, etc. I guess since you're revisiting Florence and Rome, you could get by with just two nights in each of those cities, but that seems pretty rushed to me. Florence is close to Bologna, so maybe that could be a day trip from your base in ER? That would save you some transit time.
I've not spent any time in ER yet, so I can't give you specific suggestions, but I'm sure someone else will be able to give you lots of ideas :)
Posted by
OP
Ontario Canada
650 posts
Sorry Erin for any confusion. Of the 3 cities Parma, Modena, Bologna we planned on staying near one and day trip to the other 2 for a total of 3 nights - then drive to Florence 2 nights - leave the car and train to Naples for 2 nights, then train to Rome 3nights. That would leave one day for perhaps travelling by car the back roads to Florence and staying 1 night in a small village, and the 18th day fly home.
I would like to have a suggestion of an agritorismo in the Parma/Modena/ Bologna area that would be easy to travel to any of the 3 for a day.
Posted by
Hampshire, UK
402 posts
Are you driving from Torino to Emilia Romagna for the scenic nature? if not, Turin to Bologna is just over 2 hours by fast train, and if you book early enough it can be very reasonable (it was around €30 one way last time I did it - the route is served by both Trenitalia and Italo)
Posted by
seattle
2048 posts
If you want to have a car to visit a Parmesan farm and balsamic vinegar production, you may want to stay in an agriturismo near Modena or Emilia Reggio. They are both interesting towns to visit with great sites and food.