Emilia Romagna
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to the Emilia Romagna area for our 25th anniversary in late September/early October. While we've been to Italy several times, this will be our first trip to this area. Our plan is to fly in and out of Venice. We'll spend 4 nights in Venice at the beginning of our trip and then we'd like to find a central location in the area to spend a week doing day trips to explore Bologna, Parma, Modena, etc. We enjoy exploring hill towns, drinking delicious wine, and eating good food! Any and all recommendations are welcome.

Po valley is good for food, but many of the places you mention are on the valley bottom, which allows you to use trains to get about. Have a look at Padova (Padua) where the tirimisu may have come from, Ferrara with a great castle is the centre then train down to Bologna, Parma etc. Base in Bologna makes a lot of sense or you could chose one of the smaller places on the plane.

I suggest spending your week in Bologna, an attractive small city with great train links to other towns including Parma and Modena.

If you also fly home from Venice you may which to visit Venice last to make for an easier departure. The journey from Venice Mestre is straightforward.

twocatzih, We spent five nights in Bologna in 2018. We took two easy train day trips; one to Padova and one to Ravenna and those incredible mosaics. Bologna's a great base, and the food is incomparable. Below is a link to my Italy trip report. Chapter Five - Nine (lots of photos, too) cover that part of the trip. Have fun!
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/italy-2018/

Photo below - Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padova
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aaa661e7e.jpeg


Photo below - Basilica di San Vitale - Ravenna

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...be0134730.jpeg

Bologna
 

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions! We've decided to spend the entire time (10 days) in Bologna and do day trips by way of train and if we want to see more, we'll either rent a car for a couple of days (our apartment comes with a dedicated parking space!) or hire a driver.

Now, we need advice on restaurants, markets, cooking classes, and "must-sees" in Bologna, Parma, Modena, and the surrounding areas. We're definitely headed to Ravenna for a day!

Okay, you've sold us on Ravenna! Thanks!