I will be traveling to the Bologna area in October. I would like to include Parma, Modena and Ravenna. Is it best to just stay in Bologna and take trains to the other places or should I stay overnite in each.
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We did by car, but I think that a day trip to Ravenna is better than moving from hotel to hotel.

We spent five nights in Bologna last September. A day trip to Ravenna by train is easy, about and hour and a half each way. You can certainly do day trips to Parma and Modena. If you aren't staying in smaller towns, you might consider an overnight in Parma. It's a delightful town with many interesting sights. We spent two nights in Parma and enjoyed it greatly.

We are thinking of a future trip to Bologna and the surrounding area, too. Does anyone have suggestions for good places to stay in that area? We prefer smaller B&B type hotels.

We liked the Miramonte which is within 15 minutes walking distance from the city center. Here's my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34522338

Day trips are great from Bologna--you've chosen a good base. Modena is very close, and Parma is easily done as a daytrip as well.

You should definitely consider going to Ferrara too. We went for a day trip a couple weekends ago, and we fell in love with it. It's easily done in a day trip--just leave plenty of time for visiting the museums and palaces. Also, make sure you spend a meal in these towns (especially Modena and Parma), since part of the joy of visiting Emilia Romagna is to overdose on good food.

Does anyone know of any smaller towns in the Emilia Romagna region that are worth a visit? The only one that comes to mind is something like Dozza, but I've never been.