Bologna italy whats it like?

jst wondering if anyone has anything to say about Bologna Italy? thinking of booking for september..has anyone been?? and also how much is the rail over there? for example to get to milan from bologna??
any advice for me please??! :) thanks!
Bologna is a good base from which you can discover the entire Region, with interesting towns like Modena, Reggio, Parma on the one hand and the ???Romagna??? on the other, then there is a really unique town just under 25 miles away, Ferrara (I???m biased, a branch of my family comes from here) one of the birth places, and there were lots, of the Renaissance and today with one of the best mediaeval centres, its own castle and a rich Art collection. Bologna is a short and unexpensive train ride from Milan, once there you can rent a small car or scooter and reach all the other places in no time, or a bike to wander around the city centre. It has one of the oldest Universities in the World and a thriving economy, cute streets and interesting sights. Well worth a visit.