Bologna - 5 days too much?
 

We are re-thinking our itinerary and thinking rather than stay in Parma for 2 nights and changing hotels, why not stay in Bologna for 5 nights and make that base camp for all the areas we are trying to cover which are:

Bologna
Parma
Modena
Ferrara
Cremona

We have a car at our disposal or can take tours for most of the food sightseeing we want to do, just wasn't sure if we should break it up??

Thoughts about this - suggestions welcomed!

Jen & Sam

That sounds like a plan to me. On our visit to Bologna, our only regret is that we scheduled only 2 days for this city. There is much to see, do and eat in Bologna. Although I tend to drive alot in Italy, I would not want a car in the city, it would be a hassle. Bologna is a transportation hub so that should not be difficult. If you care to, click on my name and you will find a trip report that includes Bologna in its title.

I enjoyed spending a night in Parma. I think it might be nice to split it up myself.

We stayed in Bologna for six nights and really liked it.
Made only one day trip - to Florence.

I stayed three days and could have used another. Took only one daytrip, to Ravenna (by train).

If you don't mind switching hotels then you might find it easier to do that than to deal with the traffic on the highway between Bologna and Parma more than once. Also if you have a car then adding Ravenna to your list of sightseeing targets is something I would recommend and if you use a Bologna as a hub between Parma and Ravenna it means a rather lot of time behind the wheel.

I will point out that for the places you have mentioned as daytrips only Cremona is not very easily reached by train from Bologna. Having a car in Bologna can be something of a hassle -- and in particular be aware of its ZTL regulations which are slightly more complicated than in some other cities. If you are not going to be using the car to go to small towns unreachable by train then reconsider having a car and use the trains instead. It is only 20 minutes by train to both Modena and Ferrara and Parma is easier by train than it is by car because of ZTLs and traffic.

To me the biggest advantage of 5 nights in Bologna would be the chance of renting an apartment and cooking some dinners.. The Bologna (and Modena) markets are outstanding and often beat the restaurants for their quality when it comes to fresh pasta and cured meat and cheeses. Beautiful fruits and vegetables. Throughout Emilia-Romagna the food tends to be high in fat so if you are eating lunch in a restaurant every day it can be nice to eat a simper dinner.