We had initially planned to spend 3 nights in Bologna in late September and use one of the days for a day trip to Ravenna before moving on to Alba. We were planning on arriving by train from Venice and departing by train to Turin and renting a car at least for one day. Except for Ravenna and the mosaics this stop was primarily being focused on food and wine not museums.

In my infinite wisdom the days we were planning on are at the same time as a major trade show and all the hotels we would like are either booked or are charging rates higher than in Venice. We do not really want to change our dates and are committed to preceding dates in Venice.

My question: Which other towns close to Bologna would you recommend as a 3 night base? Also, we are willing to rent a car for all three days if needed.

Bruce

Perhaps Ferrara, a World Heritage Site.

I did the same thing in 2018 when I scheduled during Design Week. We booked an incredible Air BnB near Piazza Maggiore. Maybe you could try that. It was half of what the hotels were charging.

You don't give your exact dates, but my strategy in these situations is to follow the train lines leading from the problem city - - and you can do this directly on Booking.com. Pull up your dates in September, then go to map view, then start to follow the train lines out of town. Booking will re-center to show you places in adjacent places - - and even if it is a nothing-burger burg, if you find a good rate close to the train station, it is like gravy. You can retire there very easily after scintillating days away, and might even find a really sweet spot for dinner at great prices.

Ferrara is indeed a fabulous option, but even if you overnight in a random nothingsville like Castelfranco Emilia, it is no worse than taking a bus half an hour from the center of Bologna to a remote dive in Bologna - - maybe way better. Now, if desperate, Rimini is an hour away by train, and it gets REALLY cheap in the offseason, and you can still swim every day, and get a nice convenient hotel with a breakfast buffet, for a song. Look at the train lines in the different directions they go from Bologna (and there are several), and see if you get something so close to a train station, at such a great price, that you will remember it fondly forever.

Faenza which has an important faience museum.

We visited it on our way to Ravenna

I spent three nights in Ferrara last summer and loved it. However, I had been to Ravenna before and didn't revisit, so I cannot speak to how convenient/inconvenient Ferrara is for seeing Ravenna.

If no car, I'd follow the train lines to a nearby hub.

For food, I've had some great meals in Parma!
For bases, I like cities with a decent university. Always attracts other culture!

I too was going to suggest Parma. It’s easy to walk around and if you are lucky you may be there when they have outdoor concerts. If possible book a hotel with parking.

Have you been to Ravenna? I know most people go there as a day trip, but I spent two nights there. In addition to the fabulous mosaics, I really enjoyed the town. Good food, too.
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Ferrara and Faenza are two obvious ones.

Montselice is small but interesting due to the actual position
Montagnana is lovely but maybe not on the train route
Rovigo is a bit meh but the very urban centre is ok
Argenta (no)

follow the train lines as others have said

**Have you been to Ravenna? I know most people go there as a day trip, but I spent two nights there. In addition to the fabulous mosaics, I really enjoyed the town. Good food, too.**

I did too. I forget whether I stayed 2 or 3 nights.

Have you thought about Florence?
It is just over an hour's drive from Bologna.
Ferrara is beautiful but small, 3 nights seem too many.
If you want to stay close to Venice you could do Ferrara+Padua, university city.

Ferrara as a base is perfect, though. Daytrips to Bologna ( half an hour), Ravenna (there is a direct train takes 80 minutes), Padua (half an hour) or Venice (one hour). Or just go into Bologna every day - - a quick commute. Then mornings and possible evenings in Ferrara. Really a sweet spot.

Please try booking.com for Le Palme. I was there in Nov and it was fabulous. Walkable to everything. A wonderful apt for 2. I ADORED and would hate for you to miss out staying there.

Definitely Ferrara. I liked it enough the first time I went back: "I stayed in the same friendly B&B as when I visited in 2004, but this time I explored Ferrara itself as well as using it as a base for a day trip to admire Ravenna’s stunning mosaics. I had seen the castle and cathedral in 2004, but added a few worthwhile museums and a stroll along the city walls. The B&B sent me to some good restaurants and a food fair was in progress in one of the squares."

Thank you all for some great recommendations. Based upon your recommendations it was either going to be Ferrara or else turn Ravenna into a base rather than a day trip.

Then a restaurant we were interested in (out of the way in Savigno), turns out to also have a small Inn as well. So we will be going a bit more rustic than planned and stay a couple of nights there and do a Ravenna day trip from there. Town is so small, we will probably just add another night onto our stay in Alba. Bologna will have to another trip.

So we will take the train from Venice to Bologna, rent a car for a couple of days, then take train to Turin for our Piedmont leg.

Thank you all again - you are the best.