Salve or is it ciao?!
Hello kind people of this forum. Im traveling to Bologna area for a retreat/workshop (I’m a florist) and would love some suggestions for my before or after time in Italy. I’m so excited! I’ve never been to Italy before, I’m in my 40s, female and will be traveling solo. I’m a gardener and love art and food and everything new and different. I get a little anxious in big crowds and don’t speak Italian (but starting the basics now). The workshop is the last week of May and I’m thinking of checking out Bologna, Ravenna, Ferrara. I know all the fun things to do thanks to the lovely Rick Steves. Looking for logistics help. Best place to fly in and out of (from Cali), where to stay, should I hire a guide? Do I bring travelers checks? I’m nervous about being alone and not speaking the language but a very outgoing and curious person. Thank you so much for your suggestions and help!
Both ok to use, and both informal / friendly.
I think there is a public botanical garden in Bologna, but I've yet to get there.
All 3 of your locations are good, and also different from each other, which I think makes for a pleasing change of perspective.
Bologna the big city, famed for food, but oddly it's the produce that's impressed us more than the restaurants. Porticoed streets helps mitigate any adverse weather, and there's some wonderfully decorative ones on via Farini. Bologna's tourist office in Piazza Nettuno is very good, and that might make it an ideal 1st stop, for that reason + its proximity to the airport (a modest shuttle bus journey). There are also group tours e.g. walking tours of the city, balsamic vinegar producers, parmesam, etc. and these can be a great option for a solo traveller, to have company for the day.
Ravenna ought to be more touristy than it is, with such well-preserved Roman/Byzantine mosaics, but the city wears it very well, and has a surprisingly chilled / normal feel.
Ferrara something of a hidden gem, with traffic mostly excluded, well preserved walls that you can walk / cycle around, an impressive castle with equally impressive fish in the moat. Good eating for sure, and a wine bar that Copernicus used to drink in, which is pretty decent. There's plenty of genuinely old buildings, and a superb weekly street market. It's also got a lovely late afternoon / early evening passeggiata when the shops re-open and people / families emerge for gelato/chit-chat. The focus for this being the pedestrianised artery running through the centre and out either side, plus some spacious piazze.
May a super time to go, with the weather unlikely to be too hot, and the produce excellent. It's the season of my favourite fruit (Nespole, which look a little like apricots), but there's plenty of other super fruits including the wonderfully punchy little strawberries (fragoline).
Travellers cheques presumably still an option, but many simply use debit cards / credit cards / paypal / phone apps etc. but check what gives you a decent exchange rate. Having some cash on arrival always ideal... I like to have enough to see me through the first 2-3 days, but that's me! Card machines are typically called 'Bancomat'
Other stuff.
- As alluded to above, between 12:30 ish and 3:30 ish most shops etc. shut for lunch, re-opening for a ~ 4 hour period (so shutting around 7:30pm). Thus it's good to have a plan of what to do in that break, e.g. a long lunch, a peaceful stroll at a quieter time, a short snooze, or visiting a site that is open then.
- Every bit of Italian language helps, even though English is fairly widely understood
- Buses, trains etc. will be a logistical change to what you're used to, and are changing further with technology. Typically tickets are bought in advance (tabaccherie for buses, ticket office / online for trains), and some will need to be stamped in one of the machines near the ticket office for trains and on the bus for buses).
- Pace is somewhat more relaxed for meals, even in Bologna, though for Foreign tourists some places seem to adapt to serve courses faster (we prefer the more relaxed normal pace, so sometimes ask for 'una pausa' - a break, between courses, typically dessert)
- Pedestrian crossings might seem like drivers are trying to run you over, but it's quite the opposite. Italians are wonderfully pragmatic and they share the road pragmatically. If crossing, be clear and obvious, and drivers will make sure they avoid you. In Ferrara, be aware of the many bicycles on the pavements. Again it's all pragmatic, but it's easy to forget that cyclists need to avoid pedestrians wandering around randomly.
and Rick Steves? It's become something of a bible for (mostly American) tourists, but ironically what started as an attempt to persuade people away from the mass tourist trail, has itself driven mass tourism into other places. I'd recommend having varied sources for ideas and inspirations, hopefully guiding you to what appeals most to you, and not just travel writers.
Hope you have a great trip
