We were planing a trip to Berlin in May, turned out we have to be in Bologna first week of May ( not that I mind). Berlin got pushed to the summer.
I would appreciated suggestions for day trips....looks like several interesting towns are easily
reached by train.
After Bologna, we would like to stay around for 5 or so days.
Is Venice the logical choice?

Ravenna
Ferrara
Modena
Parma
Rimini
Mantova
Verona

Forgot your Venice question . . . yes, it could be a daytrip from Bologna, but I think one daytrip does not show Venice at its best. If it will be the only visit you ever have to Venice, then do it. I would want more time in Venice.

Thanks.
My parents took me to Venice when i was a young teen......not many memories.
3 nights. In Venice ?


Of the towns mentioned , which two would top the list ?


.

I depends on your interests. Ravenna is a world heritage site I think for its mosaics. If you don't care about mosaics, then Ravenna may not be for you. I love Verona for its walkable center, Roman arena, and wonderful wine bars and food. Rimini is a beach town, with few historic building left because it was heavily bombed in WW2. I could go on, but, really, you should look at the Wikipedia pages or a guidebook for these locations to get an idea. I don't know what would interest you most . . . unless you care to share your interests so we could better advise you on the choices

But I couldn't fault the choice of Venice. I've been there at least a dozen times, the last time for a week because I still felt I had so much to do and see. others tire of it after two days.

Thanks again.
We like art museums, interesting architecture, outdoor cafes

I looked at some pages on Wikipedia....they all look so lovely.

If you like ceramics, Faenza, which is between Bologna and Ravenna, has an important ceramics museum.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57622914503405

We did not find Ferrara particularly appealing.

Thanks Michael

I'd go to Venice. But I am hopelssly biased in favour of Venice.

http://venicedailyphoto.blogspot.com/

Thanks Peter
Great pics.!

Verona is nice for a couple days.

It is often difficult to get rooms there.

Pat

For me Ferrara, Mantova and Modena top the list for day trips. But Parma and Ravenna are well worth a visit, too. Ditto to Verona - beautiful town but I would stay more than one day there. The idea of 5 days in Venice afterwards is great, I think.
Don't forget to allocate some time for exploring Bologna, currently my favourite city in Italy. The idea of staying there for 1 week, devouring the fabulous food and ice creams, walking the streets with their impressive porticoes and visiting some great museums and churches, is wonderful. For a nice, long walk, a bit of a hike really, go to the Parco di Villa Ghigi, south of the town centre - it's a bit of a climb but once you get to the top of the hill, the views are stupendous and the fresh air, to die for. I guess in May it will look spectacular with all the trees in bloom. I was there last October and it was the highlight of my 12-day trip to Italy and Barcelona.

Karen and Wanttogo, thanks for valuable info.

We spent 5 nights in Bologna and one day did a food tour with Italian Days Food Experiences (http://www.italiandays.it/). It was a great day filled with fun, learning and food!! We went to parmigiano reggiano factory, balsamico acetaia, Parma ham factory and winery. Here is a link to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-in-milan.cfm

We also enjoyed a visit to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (if you're into that kind of thing). Weren't wowed by Ravenna but glad we went. Didn't go from Bologna, went later in our trip, but really enjoyed a quick stop for lunch in Verona and think it would be a great overnight stay.
For your additional nights, I would definitely do Venice!!

Thanks jgg,
Great report.