Ravenna

I usually spend two or three nights in Ravenna. It's a nice, low-key city with many beautiful churches, a couple of museums, places to purchase mosaics. Very good selection of hotels, bars, restaurants. Be sure to take the bus to Classe, to see the church, it's never been crowded when I have visited. The churches in town may have a lot of visitors during peak times, but they are usually groups that pass through quickly.

Thanks for your quick response. I read something else that said the churches were closed on Thursday. Have you ever heard that?

I'll be there in November for the half marathon and can't wait. Two nights is what I decided.

Two nights is what I decided too! Thanks.

The web site of the city tourist office has a link for each site. I spot-checked two of them; they both included the hours and didn't mention Thursday closures, but you should check them all. Note that churches may be off-limits to tourists during masses.

Ravenna Turismo

I'm sure you'll enjoy Ravenna. Aside from the mosaics, the historic area is lovely.

We had a great few days in Ravenna, spent one entire day only on the churches in town with their ancient and astounding mosaics. Also took the bus to Classe. A pleasant and easy going town IMO. Bike rentals are available and many people ride bikes. Check out the hotel Albergo Cappello...excellent location, our room was huge, very good breakfast. They have a small patio and an elevator also. There was a happy hour in the afternoon. The staff are excellent. We arrived 9 hours late, well after midnight, due to a train strike. The clerk greeted us with a smile at the front door. Recommend without hesitation. Enjoy your trip.

Ravenna= good place (IMHO)

We loved Ravenna and wish we had stayed more than one night. We did manage to see most of the mosaics and were awed by their beauty. Our lovely room at Palazzo Bezzi ( walk able from the train station) was under €100 (Otober 2013) and we enjoyed a tasty dinner at a casual place with shared tables---surrounded by locals and enjoying conversation with them.

Thanks for all your great suggestions. I'm looking forward to Ravenna!

I agree with the others that Ravenna is definitely worth a visit. I stayed two or three nights, and felt that was a good time frame. In addition to the mosaics, there are some nice restaurants (of course after a visit to "la grassa" you may not have much of an appetite).

I did four nights in Ravenna in April 2015. I loved it, but that was my fifth trip to Italy and I LOVE early Christian mosaics. It was my first destination, so it's where I recovered from jet lag. One nice thing about Ravenna is that it's flat, so it's VERY easy to get around.

I think two or three nights would be perfect for most people, depending on your interest in mosaics. (If you really enjoy mosaics, the TAMO museum of mosaic-making is fascinating. Extremely well-done.)

Highly highly recommend the B&B Al Teatro: http://www.bbalteatroravenna.it/en/ Outstanding location. Huge, inexpensive, quiet rooms. The breakfasts are amazing, including eggs cooked to order. Daniela, the owner/cook is a delightful woman who speaks English very well and knows every nook and cranny of the town. She even took me to a mosaic shop and introduced me to the owner because I said I might be interested in returning to take a mosaic-making class.

Highly recommend Ca' de Ven restaurant.

Tip: The evening passeggiata in town takes place mostly along Via Cavour - very Italian and very enjoyable.

Thanks everyone for the info and restaurant recommendations! I can't wait to go!

Be sure to go in the Basilica San Francesco, off a charming piazza smack in the historic center (and just around the corner from B&B Al Teatro). Go up to the altar area and down the steps to look into the crypt under the altar. Put a 1 euro coin into the lightbox to see that it's flooded with crystal clear water and has goldfish in it!

We visited Ravenna in March and loved seeing all the mosaics! We stayed at Palazzo Bezzi and the staff recommended a wonderful restaurant--Trattoria al Cerchio. It was so good that we ate there twice! Also, be sure to see the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. There is a small fee, but it's worth it. We happened upon the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra (Domus of the Stone Carpets) and would recommend that as well. Enjoy!

We stayed at Hotel Byron. It was a nice quaint hotel with great prices. Very clean and good breakfast, and recommended by our hotel in San Gimignano. Great shop to by Mosaic vases and mirrors. They will even ship them back to the US. Super easy.