Turin or Bologna
 

We have the opportunity to do a two week home exchange in either Turin or Bologna. We live in New York City and are in our late 50's. Where do you think it would be best to spend two weeks

Bologna. Bologna is a fascinating medieval city on its own, and an easy day trip by train to Florence, Ravenna, Ferrara and Padua. It is known as "Bologna the Fat" because the food there is supposed to be the best in Italy,

Torino is out of the way in northwest Italy and is somewhat of a factory city, with Fiat there.

You are lucky. Have fun in Italy!

I live in NYC and I've visited both. I also suggest Bologna. It will feel more "foreign" than Torino. I love Torino but I think, as stated, Bologna itself has much to offer and much in the region that's easy to visit. By the way, what time of year? My NY friend who lived in Torino for 15 years never stopped complaining about the dreary winter weather there.

We once spent an extra day in Bologna just to eat.

Well if you can wait until late April, I can give you my answer: We loved Bologna and you simply cannot go wrong there. But we are headed for Turin which, from everything I've read, is a most underrated city as far as tourism goes and is certainly not only a "factory city!"

Will you have a car bonacer? If not I would without hesitation choose Bologna, you can visit so many other places mentioned here by train from Bolgona. To enjoy the countryside of Piedmont you would need a car. But in either case my vote would be for Bologna. Lucky you, you will have a lovely time in Italy.

Yes, when do you go?

We have visited both and enjoyed the food in both cities equally and found things to savor in both as well. Since you will have two weeks, I'll add a vote for Bologna because of its more central location. You really can get around easily by train to the places other posters have mentioned.

Hub and I really enjoyed Ravenna and its amazing churches as a day trip from there.

In Bologna, take a taxi to the Church high on the hill then walk the porticoed 3+ kilometers back to town.

Enjoy!

Bologna without a doubt.

Have fun.

jdc

Bologna is more in the path of travelers however Torino is a delightful destination. It has many outstanding places to visit and wonderful food. Also Bologna.
So I shall not favor one or the other and leave this to you.Might I suggest you to read about both and then make a choice without thinking of the non reasons why very often a place is included in most travelers itineraries and others are not.

bonacer, you need to tell us more about your interests to get serious answers, but... it's important to correct the picture of Torino that some people seem to evoke on this thread. Much as I love Bologna, Torino is definitely not a second-rate sight in comparison. "Somewhat of a factory city, with Fiat there"??? This poster has definitely never been in Torino - it's one of the greatest pure baroque cities all over the world, and more than that, an absolutely delightful, old-fashioned place. And though Fiat is actually at home there, Bologna is far, far, far more industrial, all in all.
I repeat, if you tell more about your likes and dislikes (e.g. medieval vs. baroque, lively vs. quiet...), you're going to get more precise answers. I think much depends on whether you're going to have a car; neither Torino nor Bologna will keep you entertained for two entire weeks, so the surroundings do matter, too. And to enjoy the region around Torino, you'll need a car. With Bologna, I think it's different; since this is one of Italy's major agglomerations of both industry and population, public transport should be pretty easy there (though I'm not an authority on that matter - I never use any transport than a car).

We will have a car available. Our interest is sightseeing, museums, and good food. Just "hanging out" and getting the flavor of the city is high on our list. Both my wife and I (58 and 63) have travelled and have done what I call Paris in five days etc. This vacation is more to stay in one place, and get the flavor of the city. However I think day trips will be important to us. thanks, Steve

franco put it better than I. Torino is elegant, people in TOrino are also elegant, it has a special flavor. I really loved it. What I had hoped to express and Franco put it better than I , do not be influenced by the opinion of the majority of those who follow guide books or tour itineraries and as a result feel that this or that city is a must and the others have no value. This is for me the greatest irony of tourism. Again I love both destinations. Personally I like more Torino,..the Egyptian Museum ( Museo Egizio) is famous all over the world, the Palazzo
Carignano is not only a magnificent Baroque palazzo by famous architect Guarini but it was there where the first
national Italian parliament met. Now the Carignano houses a museum which is fascinating ( to me) to learn about the unification of Italy .
Walking Via Roma with its great cafes and shops is a wonderful experience that allows to get involved in the life of ITaly. At night is a very lively city specially on week ends.The Palazzo Reale offers interesting tours by its own personnel. Of course for Catholics Torino has the most famous hole relic in its duomo. The shroud, said to be the winding sheet in which the body of Christ was wrapped after his crucifixion. A few kms from the center is the Museo dell'Automobile.
All over Torino there is great food and the best cafes where locals seem to gather late in the evening to savour delicious sandwiches amazingly good. Good luck. I do not wish to be disrespectful to those who recommended Bologna because I also like it very much .

Ok, into the details. While food is certainly excellent in Torino, Bologna will most probably win in this respect (home of one of Italy's most famous regional cuisines).
Bologna is medieval as far as architecture, rich, intellectual, decidedly left-wing, food-oriented, lively, young - the atmosphere being much determined by its university (one of Italy's largest, oldest, and best).
Torino - Graziella has already given a good description - is baroque as far as architecture, equally rich, old-fashioned, bourgeois, coffee-and-chocolate-oriented (one of the few Italian places with grand old cafés reminding of Prague or Vienna), distinguished, with gravitas.
As far as surrounding regions, Piemonte (around Torino) is definitely a hidden gem, with Torino as the only large city (with important industry), the rest relatively rural-bucolic, while Emilia-Romagna (around Bologna) is a modern, industrial & industrious region, one of the two main sources of Italian wealth (the Milano region being the second, or rather the first) - few rural retreats, an urban environment already since the Middle Ages, with plenty of splendid city centres (where you don't notice much of the surrounding industry, except for the resulting wealth). Sights, in the surrounding regions, are definitely more important in Emilia-Romagna, while daytripping is definitely more pleasant in Piemonte (in Romagna, between the beautiful historic city centres, travelling feels sometimes like having been beamed into a sci-fi movie).

My my, the person who described Turin as out of the way in northwest Italy and a factory city, with Fiat there doesn't sound like as if he has ever been there.

Piedmont and Emilia Romagna are rivals in Italy for the title of best food places, with residents of each claiming theres to be the best.

I haven't been to Bologna so I cannot compare the 2 cities, I think Bologna (or at least the historical old town) would be more medieval and compact in feel then Turin, but Turin is not to be sniffed at in terms of a place to stay, with loads of culture, wonderful baroque architecture, loads of old Savoy palaces turned into museums and easily accessible.

And if you have a car, Piedmont's wine country is 30 minutes from Turin, the area around Asti and Alba is stacked with hill top towns and castles featuring some of Italy's best wine and small restaurants.

As someone else said, its easy to research both places on-line and make your own choice depending on what you are expecting.

I've been to both cities and my choice, hands down, would be Bologna. To me, there are many more interesting places for day trips surrounding Bologna.

Have a great trip.