mandalay

I have 2 nights free between Rome and Milan in January. Any suggestions where to stay?
travelling by train and love the culture, food, shopping and exploring.

Island45

Florence?? Sienna?? San Gimignano?? All are wonderful places for a couple of days. I would suggest Santa Margherita however it is January and the sea may not be as enjoyable then.

HappyTrvlr

Florence pr Bologna would fit perfectly and both offer a lot.

mandalay

Forgot to say that I have been to Florence.

Do you suggest Verona as well or would Bologna be better

kja

What is the rest of your itinerary? What parts of Italy have you already visited?

neckervd

Any town north orf Rome is scenic:
Orvieto, Tarquinia, Spoleto, Perugia ........
Otherwise check Ravenna, Genova, Torino, Bergamo....

Mimar

In the winter cities offer more to see and do than small towns or the countryside. Bologna, with its covered walking arcades, would be a great choice. Not to speak of its food.

sandralist

Tough call between Verona and Bologna. You should take a look at each of their attractions and decide. Wine is better in Verona. Shopping is a little bit better in Verona. Bologna is directly on the train line between Milan and Rome. Verona means extra time on the train. Pasta is certainly better in Bologna. Verona gets some really icy winds in winter. But the porticoes of Bologna are get windy too and turn into refrigerators in the cold (the terrazzo floors turn slippery if it snows!) .

So I would pick on the basis of what sights you want to see.

sandralist

Verona

http://www.italyguides.it/us/italy/v...ona/verona.htm

Bologna

http://www.italyguides.it/us/italy/e...ogna-italy.htm

annw

Orvieto is also right on the train line and a lovely spot. Not sure for this time of year.

Perugla also much to offer and quite accessible by train (you take tiny red cable cars from train for a short ride up to the ancient center, or else a taxi).

I prefer either one to Bologna, though that is entirely personal opinion.

BUT-- love Ravenna -- about 45'-hr. by train from Bologna Centrale. Great food, walkable old center, mostly locals, world class (World Heritage) mosaics.

packed

Shopping better in Bologna, but Verona more charming. Are you looking for larger city, small village?

jangita

How many days will you be in Rome? Maybe just extend your time there? IMHO you can't have too many nights in Roma.

sandralist

Shopping better in Bologna? For food maybe but Verona has excellent markets. Better clothes for clothes and shoes in Verona I think. Prices about equal both places. Charm? Some people are more charmed by the less touristy Bologna. All very subjective.

At the beginning of January Orvieto has a big music festival that can make accommodations hard to find. It can also be very foggy, so no views (which is part of the town's charm).

Perugia is quite a dog leg off the train line between Rome and Milan, as is Ravenna (which is certainly more than an hour by train from Bologna Worth the time but it is not a 45 min trip).

bvlenci

Bologna has boutiques of all the major Italian designers, as well as a lot of little artisanal shops. (I bought a wonderful pair of silk-lined leather gloves there recently at a glove maker's shop.)

I've never done much shopping in Verona, but I find it hard to believe that a city so much smaller than Bologna could have the variety of shopping choices. Here is a page (in Italian) about the best streets for shopping in Bologna, with names of shops:

http://www.agendaonline.it/shopping/bologna/

I know lots of women who regularly go to Bologna for shopping, but I've never heard of anyone going to Verona for shopping. This would not be for food or wine shopping; most Italians wouldn't travel very far for that kind of shopping. Verona is in the middle of a well-known wine region, and Bologna isn't, but a good enoteca in any larger city would have the best wines from all over the country.

I don't think you can identify any city that has the best pasta. The best pasta in my tiny village might be better than any pasta in Bologna. It depends on the person making it, not the city. The best pasta is made by clever women who've been making pasta their entire lives, starting with a tiny rolling pin and a stool to raise them to counter height when they were little more than toddlers. I know a woman who makes pasta for a little agriturismo whose pasta beats that in any restaurant I know.

pctraveler

>> Forgot to say that I have been to Florence.<<

I hesitate to intrude, but even with our making multiple trips to Florence over the years, I would not rule out another trip. Now the possibility is that you have been there a dozen times, but there is always something to see there, IMHO.