Bologna rooftops. Copyright Gretta Schifano
I loved our summer trip to Emilia-Romagna in the North of Italy. I was with my husband and our two kids (16 and 12 years old at the time) and we were there for a family holiday. We love Italy and have travelled there widely but we’d never been to this region before. Emilia-Romagna lies between Venice and Florence and many visitors pass through the area without stopping to explore what it has to offer. Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest regions in Italy. It produces some fantastic food and has a rich cultural heritage. We really enjoyed our time in the region and we stayed in some places which I’d definitely recommend.
Parma B&B
We spent the first couple of nights in Emilia-Romagna in the gorgeous city of Parma (you can read my post about what we did in Parma here). We stayed at an excellent B&B called R&B Opera 11 which I would recommend to anyone. The owners are friendly, kind and helpful and the accommodation is comfortable and stylish and in a perfect location for exploring the city and enjoying its food (parma ham and parmesan are from here) and culture.
Cost: Rooms at R&B Opera 11 cost from 70 euros per night including breakfast.
B&B Opera 11 bedroom, Parma. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Countryside agriturismo
The next stage of our trip was the historic city of Bologna which is about 60 miles away from Parma. On the way there we stopped for a tour of the 4 Madonne Caseificio dell’Emilia Parmesan factory to see how the famous cheese is produced and then at the Ferrari Museum – the luxury sports cars have been manufactured in the region since 1929.
Production at 4 Madonne Caseificio dell’Emilia parmesan factory. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Ferrari Museum, Emilia-Romagna. Copyright Gretta Schifano
After that we were ready for lunch and so went to Opera 02 Agriturismo, which is set in rolling hills near Modena. You can find agriturismos all over Italy (you can read here about Agriturismo Valle di Chiaramonte where we stayed in Sicily) and I love them. An agriturismo is a farm which has a restaurant serving the food which they produce and many of them also offer rooms where you can stay. Opera 02 Agriturismo is the poshest agriturismo that I’ve ever seen. It feels like an exclusive boutique hotel complete with exquisite food, infinity pool and stylish, modern rooms. They produce and sell their own wine and balsamic vinegar here too and after lunch we had a tour of the balsamic vinegar cellar to learn how it’s made. We were also shown around one of the rooms (which could fit up to two adults and three kids) and I think that this would be a wonderful place to stay.
Opera 02 agriturismo, Italy. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Bologna apartment
In Bologna we stayed in a great location in the historic city centre at Met’s Apartments. The apartment block is managed by Hotel Metropolitan, a gorgeous hotel which is a couple of streets away and where we had breakfast each morning. The apartment where we stayed was modern and well-equipped and had two bedrooms, a bathroom, an open plan kitchen and living area, air conditioning and free wifi. Bologna is known as la dotta, la grassa, la rossa which means the learned (it’s home to the oldest university in Europe), the fat (because of its amazing food), the red (because it’s traditionally been politically on the Left), and is a fascinating place to visit.
The centre of Bologna is pedestrianised so we parked in the underground car park at Piazza VIII Agosto and walked to the apartment wheeling our luggage. The walk took us about 10 minutes and was easy, although it could be tricky with very small children in tow. From the apartment we walked everywhere that we wanted to go, whether we were sightseeing, shopping, going to restaurants or going to the station to catch a train (every train in Italy seems to pass through Bologna and we went on a day trip to Florence from there by rail).
Cost: The Met’s Apartment which we stayed in cost 150 euros per night in July plus 30 euros per day for breakfast at the hotel for all four of us.
Breakfast at Hotel Metropole, Bologna. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Bologna B&B
While we were staying in Bologna the Emilia-Romagna tourist board kindly arranged for us to have a guided tour of the city. Our guide Micol spoke excellent English and took us to some fascinating places including the medieval market, the oldest part of the university (which dates from 1088), the basilica, which is the fifth largest church in Europe, the seventeenth century dissection theatre, and Osteria del Sole, a drinking locale which dates from the 1400s and where patrons can take their own food. Micol also explained the purpose of Bologna’s medieval towers, 24 of which can still be seen around the city today: she called them ‘urban castles’ and said that they were used by warring families to defend themselves from others. The second tallest of the remaining towers, Torre Prendiparte, is now a B&B and is listed by Lonely Planet as one of the Top 10 extraordinary places to stay in 2014. We went to Torre Prendiparte to meet Matteo, the friendly owner, and to have a look around. The tower is 60 metres high and has been beautifully renovated. It sleeps up to four people and if you stay there you have the whole tower to yourselves for the night, including the roof terrace. The tower is unique and would be an amazing place to stay. Inside the tower there are lots of steep stone stairs to climb, so this wouldn’t be a good place to stay with very young children.
Cost: It costs 500 euros to rent Torre Prendiparte for one night, including breakfast.
Torre Prendiparte B&B, Bologna. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Adriatic coast hotel
For the last week of our trip we stayed on the Adriatic Coast in a small town called Cesenatico at a very family-friendly hotel called Hotel Tiffany (you can read my review of Tiffany Hotel & Resort here, including a video showing some of the family rooms). Cesenatico centres around a charming historical port with a harbour which was designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Away from the harbour there are modern hotels and miles of sandy beaches which are covered with sun loungers and sunshades during the summer months. The town (and this part of the coast in general) is a popular holiday destination for Italian families and has some excellent restaurants (our favourites were Clan Paví and Ristorante Giorgio) and a good water park – here are my reviews of the town’s Atlantica water park and of Aquafan water park further along the coast.
Main wave pool at Aquafan. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Inland there are some pretty villages to explore in the nearby hills, including Santarcangelo and Longiano.
Cost: Prices to stay at Hotel Tiffany per adult, per night, range from 60-125 euros for half board and 65-135 euros for full board. Children sharing a room with an adult stay free of charge if they’re under two years old, have a 60% discount if they’re 3-6 years old, a 50% discount if they’re 6-12 years old and a 20% discount if they’re 13 years old or more.
Hotel Tiffany swimming pool. Copyright Gretta Schifano
Recommended guide books
The guide books which I recommend for visiting this area are the Bologna & Emilia-Romagna Footprint Focus Guide
Over to you
I know that there will be many, many other family-friendly places to stay in Emilia-Romagna, as there are throughout Italy, but these are just the ones which I have visited and would recommend. If you’ve been to Emilia-Romagna, do you have any recommendations to add? If not, is it somewhere which you’d like to visit?
Disclosure: The Emilia-Romagna Tourist Board provided our accommodation when we visited their region. All opinions, text and images are my own.
Emma says
October 7, 2015 at 9:55 amHaving Italy on our doorstep means that we have travelled there extensively too, but not to this area, and now I can’t work out why! Going very firmly on my list for next year! (:
Emma recently posted…Halloween Abroad
Luxury Hotels in Ranchi says
October 6, 2015 at 2:04 pmHello,
There is something special about Italian buildings both old and new in my book, the materials they use are always a lovely colour.
Glen Barth says
October 5, 2015 at 6:38 amThanks you for sharing this post with us and I myself is intrigue of visiting Emilia-Romagna. the place, architecture, food and history are all Instagram and Pinterest worthy.
Katja - globetotting says
October 1, 2015 at 2:28 pmWhat a beautiful part of Italy! I really don’t know Italy very well at all but we will be spending Christmas in Florence so I’m going to make sure to check out some of your other Italian posts for inspiration! I particularly like the look of the Torre Prendiparte, although I might have to wait until our youngest is a bit bigger to stay here 🙂 #GlobalKids
Katja – globetotting recently posted…Tofino, Vancouver Island with Kids – Canada
Gretta Schifano says
October 1, 2015 at 8:45 pmYes, the tower is fab but you wouldn’t want to stay in there with tiny kids!
BlueBearWood says
September 29, 2015 at 10:25 pmI love Italy and can’t wait to take my girls on a road trip over there. The food, architecture, history and people is just wonderful. Love the The Tower story, although I’d not sure my idea of being safe is to be stuck up a tower 🙂
Clare aka Emmy's Mummy says
September 29, 2015 at 10:20 pmWhat a lovely and beautiful destination. I’ve only been to Rome but would love to explore more
Clare aka Emmy’s Mummy recently posted…Post School tiredness – Our Netflix favourites this month #StreamTeam
Adewale Adelani says
September 28, 2015 at 4:33 pmHello Gretta,
I am loving your BLOG. I saw your blog through Joao Leitao’s amazing list of top travel blogs http://www.joaoleitao.com/resources/top-travel-blog some days ago. I Just wanted to reach out to say “thanks” for all the stuff you have been publishing on your travel blog.
To your travel success, Adewale Adelani
Adewale Adelani recently posted…40 Travel Quotes to Inspire You to See the World
Gretta Schifano says
September 29, 2015 at 9:15 amThanks Adewale, I didn’t know about Joao’s list. Best wishes for your travel blog, Gretta
Sarah Ebner says
September 24, 2015 at 3:22 pmThis sounds like such a lovely holiday and in a place which seems to have all you’d want for a family friendly trip, but without the hordes and hordes of tourists! I am particularly struck by the accommodation which gives a range of options, all of which appeal!
Gretta Schifano says
September 24, 2015 at 3:37 pmI know, it was amazing that we really just saw Italians. I think that all the Brits were crowded in to Tuscany and Venice!
Globalmouse says
September 24, 2015 at 2:16 pmI love that photo of the Bologna rooftops! What a great variety of places to stay…I’m desperate for a trip back to Italy and have never explored this region….it’s now on my list!
Globalmouse recently posted…Gladiators, Rome’s Colosseum and a tiny toothpick
Gretta Schifano says
September 24, 2015 at 3:38 pmI think that you’d love it there, it’s such an interesting area.
Penny A Residence says
September 23, 2015 at 2:29 pmBologna is mind boggling. I love it. The towers, the covered walkways, the food! Will never forget eating at a pizzeria opposite the cathedral at the top of the hill, the kids enjoyed the train ride up. We did the most bonkers social media free trip with Bologna Welcome, amazing but full on with little kids – would love to go back though, and do it slower!
Penny A Residence recently posted…Who will you make peace with today? #peaceday
Gretta Schifano says
September 24, 2015 at 11:53 amI’d love to go back there too, when it’s not so hot. There’s so much to see there.
Gemma says
September 22, 2015 at 9:54 pmLooks like you managed to fit quite a bit in on your amazing trip, such lovely pictures. I’ve never been to Italy before but it looks beautiful
Gemma recently posted…Musical Mini’s Music Class
Kara says
September 22, 2015 at 1:12 pmI love the picture over the rooftops, Italy is top of my list to visit as i have never been
Kara recently posted…Revisiting Trevella Park #CornwallAdventure
Rachel In Real Life says
September 22, 2015 at 11:58 amIt sounds like you had a wonderful trip and packed a lot in as well! I would love to visit Italy one day and perhaps even do similar to what you did.
Rachel In Real Life recently posted…Illness and a Trip to Leigh Woods
Erica Price says
September 22, 2015 at 10:24 amIt’s true that I think people tend to miss the area out – we haven’t been there. I’ve been to Venice a few times and Sorrento twice too, but we have plans to fill in some of the gaps.
Erica Price recently posted…Heading To River Cottage
Ting at My Travel Monkey says
September 22, 2015 at 9:11 amThat’s why I love reading travel blogs because I can discover new areas that I knew nothing about. I’m a huge fan of Italy and we plan to go back in the next few years to explore regions that I’ve not been to. The area looks so interesting and full of fantastic food! Plus my hubby would love the Ferrari museum. I’m bookmarking this for future reference, and the prices seem very reasonable.
Ting at My Travel Monkey recently posted…Monday Escapes #18
Joanne Dewberry says
September 22, 2015 at 8:25 amIt’s surprising how cheap hotels are if you wanted to make up your own trip. These look like great value for money.
Joanne Dewberry recently posted…Danger Is STILL Everywhere | Book Review
Sarah Bailey says
September 21, 2015 at 11:54 pmWhat a range of different places to stay – it sounds like an amazing place to visit. x
Sarah Bailey recently posted…Quickies Eye Make Up Remover Pads: Review
Charly Dove says
September 21, 2015 at 5:13 pmFabulous post Gretta, I just love this part of the world and the buildings have so much character. Sounded like you had such a brilliant trip 🙂
Charly Dove recently posted…What’s The Story? | 21st September 2015
Kirstie says
September 21, 2015 at 2:50 pmI like the idea of staying in a destination that celebrates the learned, the fat and the red! Did you love the Ferrari Factory? I’ve heard amazing things about it. Very comprehensive post!
Gretta Schifano says
September 21, 2015 at 3:17 pmIt was interesting to go to the Ferrari factory but you can’t touch anything. It’s more about revering the cars than anything else!
Jen aka Muminthemadhouse says
September 21, 2015 at 1:05 pmIt sounds like you had an amazing trip. What a fab experience to have as a family.
Lindy Hamilton says
September 21, 2015 at 12:29 pmWhat a great guide. I would love to visit Italy, it’s one place I have yet to make it to but would love to experience the culture and food! 🙂
Lindy Hamilton recently posted…SLIMFAST 7 DAY STARTER KIT #SLIMFASTWORKSFORME
Jaime Oliver says
September 21, 2015 at 11:45 amThere is something special about Italian buildings both old and new in my book, the materials they use are always a lovely colour.
That B&B looks like a really beautiful place to stay
Jaime Oliver recently posted…Five Ways To Speed Up The Selling Process
Stephs Two Girls says
September 21, 2015 at 11:34 amI love Italy, and the villages in the hills. SO much character – oh and great wine and food 🙂
Stephs Two Girls recently posted…Challenging Behaviour: ODD or PDA?
Sonia says
September 21, 2015 at 9:17 amI’d love to visit Bologna, it looks like a beautiful places to stay x
Sonia recently posted…Instagram Weekly 14th-20th Sept 2015
Cathy ( MummyTravels ) says
September 21, 2015 at 9:00 amWhat a variety – some really lovely places to stay too.
Cathy ( MummyTravels ) recently posted…Florida in photos – visiting the Gulf Coast