Help Needed Suggestions/preferences needed. 3 possible areas for next trip.

[Tim W]

It has been 18 months since my last Italian trip - far too long in my opinion - and I have some leave due for the first two weeks of October. I want to visit somewhere I've not been before, and am toying with the idea of either Bologna, Turin or Sardinia. Before I get out the guidebooks , I wonder if anybody can share experiences, or give their comparisons of any of the places.

I have loved nearly every place we have visited in Italy - particularly Rome, Siena, Campania and Sicily. I was slightly disappointed by Lecce and Puglia.
I particularly love historical sites - particularly Roman and Greek. I'm very fond of museums, and don't mind Duomos and churches. I mostly just love to walk around a city and explore, and will happily walk 10-15 miles a day. I speak mediocre Italian - at least enough to make myself understood - so that is not a limitation. Normal mode of travel is to find an inexpensive rental apartment and start from there.

Any suggestions welcome , at least to give me some ideas on where to start.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Bologna and Turin both excellent for the start of October, especially the food.

Some good and at times quirky museums in both cities (e.g. museum of human anatomy in Bologna, Museum of the Mountains and Museo Pietro Micca in Torino, the latter taking you into the countermining tunnels from when the French were attacking). The Basilica di San Pietro in Bologna is very special, but both cities have some great churches.

Language - both cities good for developing language skills, as although English is reasonably widely understood, it's not an automatic default as in some of the more touristy locations. Both cities and first and foremost fully functioning cities, with tourism an add-on.

Both are very good for walking around whatever the weather, due to extensive porticoed streets.

Sardinia sounds great, and I'm genuinely interested in going there. However logistically this feels like the odd-one-out of your suggestions. Torino-Bologna on the Freccia trains is super-fast and comfortable, so work brilliantly as a pair. What I might look for is somewhere else that is significantly different to the two cities, but with easy transport links.

Suggestions:
- Florence/Firenze is in easy striking distance of Bologna and could make for a nice triangular mini tour
- The Langhe (see Suzanne and Pauline's current trip posts for how wonderful this region can be). October is truffle season, so the truffle fair at Alba can be a great experience, even despite every growing popularity
- Verona, Venice or Ferrara make fast/ easy connections with Bologna, so less time spent travelling = more holiday time

 

[michele29]

Loved Turin and Bologna.
Turin: the National Cinema Museum is fantastic and I'm from L.A.--Turin has a great blend of old and modern .
It feels a bit like Vienna with elegant coffee shops and loads of chocolates. As mentioned above, Alba is worth a visit if only for lunch. The truffle fair can make it VERY crowded, so beware.

Bologna: great food, interesting city, great place to visit other cities such as Modena, Ravenna, Padua, Venice, Verona....If I had to choose one city I'd pick Bologna for that reason.

Happy travels

 

[Tim W]

Thanks to both of you for your insights. I hadn't realised Bologna and Turin were only just over 2 hours apart by high speed train- so that definitely raises the possibility a week in each.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Tim
Definitely merit in switching to two locations, and using that extra time to explore day trips to get variety outside of the 'in the city' experience.

Day trips from Torino:
Easiest - Basilica di Superga
Easy - The old royal hunting lodge at Stupinigi
Easy - Venaria Reale (both this and the above have parks and gardens)
Easy - Head up into the hills to the west - there is a funghi festival at Giaveno - check dates
Easy - The 'visit the producer' trips organised by the tourist office turismotorino
Moderate - Ivrea - a compact town at the foot of the mountains
Longer - Alba or Asti

plus other options

Day trips from Bologna:
Very easy - A lovely little truffle festival at Pianoro (check dates). A very 'local' experience unlike the big truffle fairs
Easy - Faenza for ceramics
Easy - Modena
Easy - Organised visits to balsamic vinegar / Parmesan producers
Moderate - Florence, Parma, Ravenna (for the mosaics)
Longer - Ferrara (a lovely still quite under the radar historic city)

As you can see, more options than you could possibly see in a week for both locations. FWIW for a week's stay I'd do basic prep for a number of these, but more detail for maybe one or two (per base location) we'd both talked enthusiastically about, and then we might end up doing 1-3 day trips per week. The rest exploring and enjoying the cities themselves

Regards
Ian

 

[joe]

Hi Tim - we've been in Torino on each of our last three visits to Piemonte, so I can definitely put in a good word for this beautiful and under-rated city. The Torino Tourism Office maintains a good website and they are generally helpful with queries, even mailing out brochures and printed info. Scroll down on the following and you have filters that can help you narrow down your search (some 30 website pages of cultural sites in the city and Torino province) :
https://www.turismotorino.org/en/jo...2018-05-12&de[date]=2018-05-19&page=0#results
Check the events calendar as the time approaches.

Unlike you, history and museums are at the bottom of our priorities, but we do love just walking around a lot - and in this respect Torino is quite compact, diverse and pleasing for strolls. From great public parks and small streets to impressive piazzi and architecture, there's something for every type of urban walker. The Po river running through it adds another dimension. It's a very vibrant place, and people are very welcoming.
We did go to the mountain museum and found it nice - there's also a beautiful panorama of the city from there. The best view, of course, is from up the Mole Antonelliana.

All of our past trips have been at the beginning of October, so I can also say that this is a good time with respect to the weather. There are many events that are connected to the seasonal products : grape, corn, chestnut, pumpkin and truffle harvests being the main ones. So if you start to get bored with the city, you can always head out to the stunning countryside.

We hope to be in Bologna for the first time this autumn, so can't help you with that. OTOH, another city I'd recommend heartily is Genoa, if by any chance you have an inclination for that area.

 

[jan]

Ciao, Tim. Like you, we were also a bit disappointed in Lecce and Puglia but that's another story. We just visited Turin for 5 days and loved it!
You might want to look at my blog, (link below) from last week to see what we did there. It is a lovely city!

 

[susan]

Hi Tim, I also would vote for either Bologna or Torino or both! There are so many things you can experience in each of these cities. Adding day trips may make choosing just one place as an option.

If you are interested, here are my blog posts on Bologna (the older posts contain more info). For Torino, I have only done a few Torino posts on my current blog but also have a bunch of Torino posts on an older blog from my trip in 2006. Hope this helps!

 

[Joe Baumann]

I also vote for Torino or Bologna, or both! I went to Torino a year and a half ago and fell in love. It has become one of my favorite cities. Plenty to do in both cities with easy day trips as Ian suggested above. October is a lovely time to visit both cities.

 

[michele29]

I second Ian's recommendation of Ferrara. I forgot to mention it. Interesting city and under the radar.

 

[Tbk]

I also agree with Ian's recommendation for Turin. I spent 5 days there 2 years ago and loved it. I am an avid walker, took the boat to the Museo dell'Automobile and walked back to the center by way of Eataly, Borgo Medievale, Parco Valentino. Also another day took a nice little walk up to the Chiesa di Santa Maria overlook. Tram to Superga also a highlight. Veneria Reale great to walk around (inside and outside). Would love to see Bologna one day.

 

[Marlene]

I just got back from three weeks in Ravenna, an overlooked town IMHO. A few people (mostly Italian, French and Germans with a few Brits; very few Americans) drop in, look at a few mosaics and leave. It has a pedestrian center (which is where you should stay), lots to do (music, museums, and 8 UNESCO sites), lots of bikes (the pedestrian center is virtually free of motorized traffic). It's less expensive than Bologna (or Lucca, another place to consider). It's not as convenient for day trips as Bologna, but you could day trip on the train to Ferrara, Faenza, or Bologna or take the bus to one of the nearby beaches. Bologna is more of a city with its hustle and bustle; Ravenna (at least in the center) has more of a small town feel to it. Just a thought.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Marlene
Yes, whereas I'd anticipated Ravenna being a city blighted by very specific tourist focus, that was in no way realised. A remarkably genuine city from what we experienced.
Regards
Ian