Bologna or Tuscany
 

We'll be in Italy from May 12-22. Our plan is to spend the last 4 nights in Venice. For the rest, my husband and I are having trouble deciding and agreeing. I'd love to spend the other part of the trip in Tuscany - somewhere south of Siena. He wants to try to fit in Bologna and Parma.

We've already visited Tuscany (in September) but were so rushed, that we'd both love to return and spend more time there. Plus, I am dying to see it in the spring. But should we do Bologna/Parma/Ravenna instead since we haven't been there before? I don't really know much about any of them. Did anyone just love Bologna?

Oh, I'll be 6mos pregnant, so that is a factor in our planning. I don't want to do a lot of hopping around.

These are always difficult questions to answer without knowing your likes and dislikes and also what is attracting you to Bologna and Parma.

We loved Ravenna. It's small and friendly, and easy to walk around, being flat. The mosaics and food are the highlights.

How about stopping in Bologna on the way to Venice from Tuscany? We did just that after our stay in southern Tuscany, taking the train from Chiusi which arrived in Bolgna about lunchtime. We spent the rest of the day exploring that wonderful city, had an incredible dinner, spent the night, then took an afternoon train to Venice the next day (only about 90 min. I think). Altho I hadn't initially been in favor of this when planning our trip, my BF really wanted to see Bologna, and I'm now very glad that we did.

We love exploring towns and just walking around. Love architecture. Love sitting in cafes, drinking and eating and relaxing. Not as interested in museums. Love wine. Love driving through the countryside. Shopping. Etc.

We live in New York, so for vacation would prefer less urban/modern areas - smaller towns with lots of character.

Bologna is a great, non touristy city to spend a few days - but it is a big, urban city known for great food and large conventions - perhaps not what you want?
Southern Tuscany is arguably one of the most beautiful spots on the planet. Check out towns like Montepulciano and Pienza.

I like Parma,but that entire area does not have the beautiful landscape that you've experienced in Tuscany. You've only got 9/10 nights and 4 are in Venice. Either spend the rest of the time in Tuscany or north (nearer to Venice).
Where are you flying into (assume leaving from Venice).

Given your interests and timeframe, I would also say Tuscany would be a better choice for this trip. The landscape one of the most beautiful places in Italy, IMO.

Bologna is a fun city and quite non-touristy, but Emilia-Romagna is not as gorgeous (pretty flat) as Tuscany. And Ravenna's mosaics are on my top 10 of man-made things I've seen in my life. But visit Tuscany this time, and go to Bologna/Ravenna next time! Or you could fit in a stop to one or the other places on your way to Venice. Doing both would be difficult, as getting in and out of Bologna (and parking there) is enough of a time commitment for you to want to spend more than a couple of hours, and you could easily spend at least several hours in Ravenna.

We love them both so much. Bologna, as someone mentioned, is a real City, though it is a city that is fun to walk in for hours. We actually love the E. Romagna area. Of course, it's got the best food in Italy... home of Parma cheese, true Balsamic and great pasta. Parma is an unsung jewel in my opinion. It is truly a wonderful town. Ravenna is great, too. The western end of the E.R. region does have some very nice (though smaller scale) castles to visit. It is more hilly, also. We are huge fans of thermal water and love the water in Salsomagiore. Of course, Tuscany has Saturnia for that. It's always a tough one... but since you're up north anyway, why not explore the E.R. By the way, it is also so close to the lakes... you could also explore that area to get a big hit of nature and hills.
Good luck and let us know what you decide!
k.