MattoPaolo

Greetings,

My family and I are traveling to Italy in June/July and want to spend 2 nights in Emilia-Romagna. We will be coming from Umbria, after staying in a villa outside of Perugia for a week; we will have a car, and we'll be heading to Venice afterwards for the last leg of our trip. There are 6 of us: myself, wife, kids (ages 8 and 5) and my parents (early 60s). Unfortunately, we only have a Saturday and Sunday night to work with as the rest of the trip is locked in.

I am looking for some advice from fodorites on what may be a nice town to stay in: centrally located along our itinerary; kid-friendly; car accessible. Not sure if it is better to stay in a city at a hotel or at an agriturismo out in the country. Was thinking about Bologna or Parma for cities, though the vibe I'm getting about Bologna isn't good: dirty, lots of graffiti, difficult with a car. If anyone's stayed in these cities or in the surrounding areas, I'd love to know about your experiences.

We're interested in visiting a prosciutto and/or parmasean factory, so if anyone can help with information there as well, I'd appreciate it. I've heard there are museums to some of the regional food specialties, I would love to know if any of you have been to those. Also, thinking of visiting the Ferrari museum.

Any help anyone can provide would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

charnees

Bologna is actually an interesting place to stay, but you would have to rent an apartment outside the gates and leave your car there. We had one two blocks from the gates and it was a 20 minute walk to the Piazza Maggiore. The food, or course, is great. It's not beautiful like Perugia, but the covered sidewalks are cool, I think.

isabel

I think Bologna is one of the most enchanting places I've ever been - it has a wonderful medieval feel, the buildings are beautiful. Graffiti - well there is some, there's graffiti in Rome and New York too but that doesn't stop people from going there. Dirty - not especially. But I do agree you'd want to find a place to stay on the outskirts since you'll have a car.

If you want prosciutto and Parmesan you could consider Parma - still a city but smaller than Bologna (I think under 200,000 versus almost twice that for Bologna's population).

Here are my photos of Bologna: http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/ital...to_and_bologna

http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/uk_a..._november_2010

ciaojulie

I haven't been to Bologna but here is some information on Parma: It is a lovely small city that is very walkable for young and old alike. Not very touristy so crowds are pretty much non-existent. City center is VERY flat and you can walk anywhere at a leisurely pace in 10-15 minutes. Bike rental from the city is an option too.

Parma's tourist info office has lots of great info and they are helpful and speak English. Website is www.turismo.commune.parma.it. You can click on the British flag at the top of the page for the site in English.

Cheese and proscuitto tours: From the info on Parma's website, they list two tour companies (Food Valley Travel and Parma Incoming) and also give you lists of cheese and proscuitto factories if you want to do it yourself. Looks like there is a cheese consortium and they give free tours Mon thru Fri. starting at 8am and lasting 2 hrs. Must be arranged in advance and can do it in English. Nine ham factories are listed and info is there for how to contact them and if they offers tours (and if they are free, etc). To get this info, go to the Parma website in English, click on Food and Wine Factories in the left column. There is a link in the paragraph on ham factories and in the right hand column is the link about cheese factories. Also in the right are links to the food museums. It is my understanding the ham and cheese factories and the food museums are outside of the city and you would need to travel there by car or bus (cheese info on website gives bus numbers to reach the factories).

Children's activities: two big parks in Parma are the Parco Ducale and Cittadella. Both are great for bike riding. Parco Ducale has a very small play area for younger children. Also has these cute carts that kids can rent in 15 minute increments and ride all around the park. Good for 8 and 5yr olds. Cafe in center and eating options on one side of the park as well. Cittadella has some playground equipment and (depending on time of year) carnival like amusements like a trampoline area that my 8 yr old child enjoys (all of it costs, be sure you have plenty of euros). Haven't explored Cittadella as much so would need to check on eating options there.
If you decide to stay in Parma, I can give you additional info on renting bikes, restaurants my child likes, gelato stands, library, bookstore, etc. Most every city in Italy has beautiful sites so you can't make a wrong choice!

ciaojulie

Oooops, I made a mistake on spelling in the website in my previous post. Parma's website is www.turismo.comune.parma.it (doesn't have 2 m's in comune!)

MattoPaolo

Thank you all for your comments. I certainly did not mean to paint Bologna in a bad light, as I have never been there. Altough I think it might not be the ideal spot for my family to stay given our circumstances, I still think we will visit it one day. Ciaojulie, I appreciate all the info on Parma. It sounds like a great little city. If we decide to stay there, I would love some more of your thoughts!

ekc

We stayed in Parma for 3 nights in 2010 and loved it. We had a car but could drive right up to the hotel and then park in a garage nearby. Loved our stay at Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati located right on the Piazza Duomo. We had some amazing meals in and around Parma, one of which was at a low-key pizza place within walking distance to the hotel. Orfeo, a pizzeria ristorante on Via Carducci.

phillyboy

If you're still considering Bologna, for a fabulous and reasonably-priced place to stay, take a look at Antica Residenza D'Azeglio.

http://www.anticaresidenzadazeglio.it/

It's a 10 minute walk to Piazza Maggiore. Run by a wonderful, warm, friendly man named Agostino, and his equally helpful nephew Roberto. We stayed for 4 great nights in October. The place is sparkling clean with nice-sized rooms, good breakfast, never-ending refills of refreshments (including wine) at no additional charge for as long as you stay. They have great local restaurant recommendations, and can help you with sight-seeing and places of interest.

Agostino will help you find a place to park your car - he'll probably ride there with you. Nothing is ever too much trouble. (

Like all cities, Bologna has it's grittier areas, but we did not find it to be dirty at all. Wish I was going back.

ciaojulie

I'd be happy to provide additional info if you decide on Parma. Also, I have visited the Ferrari museum. Wish we had taken a factory tour (if that's even possible). The museum was interesting enough, no shortage of beautiful cars at which to gawk. We had fun finding a Ferrari that was "born" the same year as each family member and taking a picture with it. As with most museums, children would have to be interested in the subject matter. There weren't any hands on activities for children. Upstairs in the trophy area there is a booth in which you can experience what it sounds like to be driving a Ferrari race car. Husband enjoyed, too loud for me! Very small gift shop with very expensive prices. Not just usual tourist prices but 100 euro keychains. It's a Ferrari after all! You can have a driving experience in a Ferrari and there were no shortage of people in the museum parking lot trying to sell us one. We didn't do it but my husband wants to next time we are in the area. Maybe another Fodorite can advise more?

MattoPaolo

Thank you all for your help. After discussing this with my family, we have decided to stay in Parma. Has anyone stayed in any of these hotels?:
Hotel Stendhal
Park Hotel Toscanini
Starhotels Du Parc
They are all well located, within walking distance of the city center as well as the Parco Ducale and have parking for our car. It seems there are no quads, so one of the kids may have to sleep with the grandparents, but that is ok. A favorite both here and on TA was the Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati, which looks fantastic, but might be a bit more than we want to spend. Any opinions on accommodations in Parma would be greatly appreciated!

nanabee

I've spent a very short time in Bologna and loved it.

dfourh

I'm kind of intimidated by Bologna (have been there three times or so). The porticoed sidewalks in the center feel a bit claustrophobic, to me, (unlike in Turin, where the porticoed walkways seem to be a joy - - leading to one bright vista after another). It is not an 'easy' city (a minimally traffic-free pedestrian center compared to the rest of Europe where making the center easy and enoyable for pedestrians has been the goal - - kind of tight and intense in comparison).

Others may have hit it at better angles, but the angles I've hit it at find it kind of difficult to feel comfortable in. Other European cities seem to focus on bringing out the ease and the beauty of their natural gifts, whereas Bologna seems more of an imtimately dark intrigue.

farrermog

FWIW recall the Cadogan Guide to Bologna & Emilia-Romagna getting good reviews/ recommendations.

ciaojulie

I have stayed at the Palace Maria Luigi and the Hotel Stendhal. Look at tripadvisor.com for reviews, they are pretty on target. Maria luigi was OK but would not choose over Stendhal unless i got a really good deal. Hotel Stendhal has a nice location, respectable breakfast buffet: traditional American foods like bacon and eggs, cold cereals, granola bars, also have cured meats, some cheeses, fresh fruit, pastries, and of course the waiter will bring you cappuccino. Always encountered front desk staff who were fluent in English. Grocery store called Punto about a block or two from hotel. Cons of stendhal: not overly large rooms (not the smallest either), room we stayed in had a small bathroom with a regular shower with tub but the shower head was not mounted on the short end, it was mounted on the long side of the tub. From my experience, no hotels in Italy offer washcloths so bring one of your own (along with ziploc bag) if you need it. Also, no italian hotels i have experienced have irons. They say it is against fire code. I had to get a men's dress shirt ironed and it cost 4 euros. They were very prompt about it though. Since I live in Parma, I will check out the other hotels you mentioned and see what info I can get on those but that will take me several days. You mention Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati. I have walked by it many times (never stayed there) and it has a great location on Piazza Duomo with excellent reviews on trip advisor-- looks a little more unique than a typical hotel. I have read that some rooms have kitchenettes. There is a cafe called T Cafe downstairs where I have gone for coffee and brioche and it was nice. If it is not cost prohibitive, I would give that one a very close look.

ciaojulie

Forgot to mention the fact that you need to bring insect repellant. Mosquitoes can be relentless, particularly in the park. May also want to bring hydrocortisone in case the mosquitoes get you anyway! Also, the cable television at the Hotel Stendhal wasn't great for kids. I'm sure you won't be wasting lots of precious time in Italy watching cartoons in the hotels but from what I remember, there was one preschool type channel in Italian. The rest was grown up TV so if that is something important to the kids, make sure you have a dual voltage portable DVD player or computer-- we download movies to the iPad while traveling now to have on hand when we need them (on our last transatlantic flight a few months ago the entertainment system was down the entire way and the movies on the iPad were a lifesaver).

zeppole

You can buy mosquito repellant in Italy. It is called "anti-zanzare spray" and the most popular brand is Autan. In June and July, you will want air conditioning.

Very near to Parma is the Torrechiara castle, only about 15 kms on easy roads. Google up pictures. It's an amazing sight. The castle is closed Mondays.

Your kids might enjoy a tour of cheesemaking in Parma. You can find tours online.

Parma is a beautiful small city, and your kids can rent bikes in the park. With a car, it is 90 minutes to the Mediterranean. But don't try it on a weekend, and time your trip to arrive later in the afternoon, when the sun is less fierce. There is usually plenty of parking in Lerici. If you want a relaxed day at the sea, think about stopping for lunch in Pontremoli, which is old small pilgrim's town with a "shaking" bridge and some easy cafes, and then go on to Lerici for a swim and gelato.

MattoPaolo

Thank you all for the great tips. The TV will not be an issue, as we will have an iPad. If I recall, we've bought insect repellant in Italy during previous trips, but thanks for the heads up. I have seen pictures of the Torrechiara castle and it looks incredible, so we'll try and see that as well. Our brief stay in Parma is part of a much larger trip, so unfortunately the Palazzo Dalla Rosa Prati is going to be cost-prohibitive. Ciaojulie, thank you so much!!! Any special insight on those three hotels would be greatly appreciated!

ciaojulie

Sounds like you are prepared! If you want to go to Torrechiara, maybe you could combine that with a trip to a prosciutto factory as several are located in Langhirano. Also, if you decide to go to the Ferrari museum, there is an open air museum close by in Montale called Parco Acheologico e Museo All'aperto Della Terramara di Montale. http://www.parcomontale.it/montale_e...iziative.shtml. It is open in June but not July, details are on the website. I just learned about this park yesterday while in my daughter's classroom! The teacher was explaining the history of Parma and it was just so interesting to learn about the terramara. I will absolutely not bore you with the details unless you are interested in going! As soon as the weather warms up, we are going! As you mention, you only have a couple of days so you have to pick and choose. That's the hardest thing about planning a trip to Italy. When you start to research an area, there end up being so many interesting sites, you could stay a month in each area and not be bored!

zeppole

you might want to take a look at the Parizzi Suites & Studio, which has the advantage of having a kitchen, and perhaps the bed configurations you need. It is just at the edge of the center, but closer to the Duomo. It has parking nearby. I don't know the rates.

Otherwise, the other hotels are good locations, but I have no experience of them. If you haven't looked at the Hotel Daniel, it too is well located, with parking. Again, don't know the rates. It has an OUTSTANDING restaurant, fairly priced. Even if your kids can't handle a sit-down Italian meal that starts 7:30, maybe you could feed the kids early, and get room service (or let them eat dessert in the restaurant with you while you have a meal).

I have only stayed at the Best Western in Parma and do NOT recommend it.

zeppole

http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/pari...a=0&lang=en-gb

Parizzi Suites