Before we left Bagni di Lucca Annalisa from Bar Italia told us Ravenna is “una bella citta.” She is right, Ravenna is a beautiful city.
It is about a 3 – 4 hour drive from Bagni di Lucca through gorgeous countryside. We drove through the mountains behind our village to the ring road around Bologna and through fruit orchards in blossom in Emilia Romagna.
Centuries ago Ravenna was situated on a group of sandhills washed by the sea and surrounded by marshes. This changed with the accumulation of alluvial deposits brought down by branches of the river Po. Now the city is nearly 4.5 kilometres from the sea.
Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire for a time and was ruled by the Byzantines until the Lombards conquered the city and it was later controlled by the Venetians. It was at times one of the most splendid Mediterranean cities. Fortunately for us a lot remains intact, making it a fascinating place to visit.
Piazza Popolo at night
Piazza del Popolo
The city is an excellent mix of old and new. The lovely old streets are filled with modern shops and restaurants and the city centre is vibrant. Piazza del Popolo is at the heart of the city and most of the interesting sights are within easy walking distance.
Ravenna is famous for mosiacs and the mosiac theme is everywhere in town.
mosiac street names
on the streeets
in the park
mosiacs on swimsuits
mosiacs in doorways
We had lunch at a tiny bar called Central Bar in Via Rasponi near Piazza JF Kennedy and beside Casa del Mutilato di Guerra. There is a little herb garden nearby that is worth a visit.
Giardino Rasponi
delicious sandwiches at Central Bar
Ca’ de Ven was recommended for dinner by the hotel where we stayed. It is tucked away under brick vaults on the ground floor of a 16th century building next to Dante’s tomb. Dante is said to have lived here when it was a lodging house. It was at one time a 19th century spice shop and the ornate shelves now display hundreds of varieties of Emilia Romagna wine. Piadine, the delicious local flat bread is a specialty here.
Ca' de Ven in Via Corrado Ricci
inside Ca' de Ven
a pretty resident at Ca'de Ven
piadine and Sangiovese from the area
The main sights in Ravenna include Basilica di San Vitale, Mausolea di Galla Placidia, Cathedral, Museo Arcivescovile and Battistero Neoniano, Tombe di Dante, Basilica di Sant’Appolinare Nouvo and Basilica di Sant’Appolinare in Classe. You can purchase a ticket which includes most of these sights for 10.50 euro. www.turistmo.ravenna.it Check before you go as this can change. These buildings are some of the most spectacular I have seen and will be covered in individual posts soon.
We stayed at Hotel Ravenna in Viale Maroncelli 12. www.hotelravenna.ra.it 0544 21 2077 We were able to drive easily to it and there was free car parking. The hotel is close to the railway station and is a short walk to the city centre.