Bologna is perhaps most famous for its sauce than for being a major tourist draw, and considering how many of Italy’s great cities lie within a short journey from Bologna, this is hardly surprising. So using Bologna as a base, what is the best way of getting around?

Why hire a car Bologna?

• Get out — many people travelling around northern Italy overlook Bologna completely, and this is a great shame, as the city of redbrick towers certainly warrants a visit, althoughm we doubt you will want to spend more than a day or two here.

Why not?

• Bologna Milan Venice triangle
• Florence
• Pisa and Lucca.

Conclusion — Bologna is such a major railway junction that the chances are that you can get where you need to buy train.

Verdict — no

Our next focus city will be Milan – maybe north Italy is famous for flashy cars, but there are some fantastic train rides too, especially if you dip into southern Switzerland.

Would you rent a car for a visit to Milan, yes or no?

Why rent a car in Milan?

• Europe’s great lakes district – especially Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore, are all within an easy drive of Milan.
• Great northern cities – with a hire car, you have the flexibility to explore at your own pace, and northern Italy has many great cities within a short drive of each other. Milan is the natural base from which to explore Turin and Genoa to the west, or Venice and Verona to the east.
• Alps.
• Public transport is disjointed. However good some train routes may be (see below), the rail system in and around Milan is still not well connected. Whereas Rome and most other major cities in Italy have one central terminus, Milan has several. Although Centrale is by far and away the biggest, the Malpensa Airport shuttle is split between here and Cadorna.
• High speed rail links direct from the Malpensa airport terminal look tempting – for example, services reach Florence is just over 2 1/2 hours. Except that this service only runs twice each day. So the chances are that you will have to change twice in Milan to reach other destinations. Also, if you fly into Terminal 1 with easyJet, you will also have to wait for a transfer shuttle to get to the Malpensa Airport railway station – this is the Italian plod!

Why not?