dac

We will be in Italy in October 2017.

We will be spending
3 nights in Santa Margarita Liguria.
2 nights in Bellagio
And then driving to Verona and dropping off the rental car.
We have never been to Verona or Bologna.
We have 7 days to split between these cities and will be flying home from Bologna on October 18th.
We tend to like smaller cities and towns.
So 3 nights in Verona and 4 nights in Bologna?
Or
4 nights in Verona and 3 nights in Bologna?
Planning on a day trip to Ravenna and open for other day trip suggestions.
Thank you!

massimop

go to Bologna for 4 days. You have time to see Ravenna, Ferrara and Modena or Parma. It is also very nice to go to Brisighella. You have to choose.

From Verona it is nice to visit Vicenza or Padova. If it is not cold or rain you can go to Trento and see the castel.

Santa Margherita Ligure. That is the correct name.

Dukey1

I've been to Verona (mainly for the opera performances in the summer) many times. I am sorry but I would not spend FOUR nights there.

pgriffin

I have seen some negativity towards Verona on forums recently, but I don't know why - I think it is a beautiful city. It has a lovely relaxed atmosphere, beautiful restaurants, is very good for strolling and has an interesting history as well as some notable sights. I spent three nights there a few years ago and would have no hesitation in recommending it for at least three nights and four would be fine too.

Try Hotel Milano near the Arena, very central and an excellent place for €100 B&B for two.

I have never been to Bologna.

dac

Thank you for your replies. I will do 4 nights in Bologna, 3 in Verona.

Keren

Both are wonderful and I would have a hard time choosing the "right" amount of time. I spent several days in each on more than two separate visits (4 for Bologna) and had a fantastic time.

Dukey1

I'm sorry, but saying I would not spend four nights in Verona vs four nights in Bologna is NOT "negativity."

pgriffin

No need to shout.

sundriedtopepo

Consider that your first day of travel from Bellagio to Verona will be a longer travel day than Verona to Bologna.

Like pgriffin we liked Verona, so don't be put off. It should not be too busy there in October. Just decide which day trips are most important to you, for sure Ravenna and then Padova and Vicenza are very nice. We haven't yet been to Ferrara, Modena or Parma so can't say there...

Mimar

Verona is a rail hub; you can visit lots of places from there. For example: Padua, Vicenza, Lake Garda, Mantua/Mantova, and, of course, Venice. But I don't recommend day trips to Venice; it's too crowded with other day trippers.

massimop has suggested daytrips from Bologna. One thing to consider: Bologna is a popular city for conferences and exhibitions. If one such is going on while you're there, hotels will be more expensive and vacancies hard to find.

danon

We stayed six nights in Bologna and made only one day trip.
There is a lot to see in the city and surrounding parks/ hills.