Ravenna?

I spent four nights in Ravenna - on full days one and three, went around to see the Byzantine mosaics, and on day two, went to Faenza to see the International Ceramics Museum. Of the mosaics in Ravenna, they were all wonderful, but I particularly enjoyed the Mausoleum of Galla Placida and the Arian Baptistry.

Visited for the day from Rimini. I enjoyed it. A day was enough for me to see what I wanted to see. From Rimini I also visited San Marino for the day as well.

You can see all the mosaics in a day, or two if you want to see them more leisurely. I didn’t find the town itself very appealing, but the mosaics are truly awesome.

I recently spent 3 nights in Ravenna with no side trips except out to the important mosaic site at St. Apollinare in Classe. I love mosaics and tried to see them all. In addition to the well-known sites I went to the mosaic museum. The city art museum often has an exhibition of contemporary mosaics, but it was not open last Sepember. It was a packed 2 days.

Hi!
We were in Ravenna last September, and it is well worth a visit.
We stayed four nights, in an apartment very near the train station.
We looked at the mosaics for about a day and a half.
Just amazing.
It’s not a crowded city at all, so no waits to get into anything.
One of the mosaic sites is a short 15 minute or so city bus ride away in Classe, so we did that one afternoon.
It was stunning, and my favourite.
Also, hardly a soul there but us.
The other day we took a train to Rimini for a day trip.
It has a lovely centre and an ancient Roman bridge.
The day we went there was a huge street market stretching out over the centre so that was fun.
The centre of Ravenna is pretty small, very walkable, and attractive.
Lots of restaurants, shops, bar/cafes.
You will not regret going there!

I’ve been to Ravenna twice. The first time I was there two nights, and last September my adult daughter & I took the train from Ferrara for a day trip, so she could see the gorgeous mosaics.

I found Ravenna to be a charming town to stay overnight and not rush. I enjoyed the restaurant/shop area and walking around in the evening with a gelato. The first day I went through all of mosaic locations, except the one at nearby Classe. The second day I went through the museum explaining mosaics and the underground museum with excavated mosaic floors.

When I brought my daughter, I took her through the highlights of the mosaics, a stop for a cappuccino & pastry at the small cafe in the courtyard of the Basicilica of San Francisco (the one with the fish swimming in the crypt lower level) with a stop over at Dante’s tomb, and a very quick walk through the mosaic museum, so she could see how they were made & the original tools. We purposely arrived as the places opened, so we were able to enjoy the first two locations with hardly anyone else in them - very special!

So, you can do a quick-through in a day, but it’s very nice to be able to stay over at least one night.

We spent three nights in Ravenna. I had become fascinated with the mosaics during a high school art history class ( which has cost us several thousands of dollars since). Almost 50 years later we spent two long, full days at a slow and measured pace. We had a wonderful stay at the Albergo Cappello, but our visit was several years ago. The staff were terrific, the room and bathroom were gigantic and comfortable and their restaurant back then offered a happy hour with a large buffet of snacks. Fond memories of the helpful and kind folks at the Albergo Cappello. Safe travels.

We spent 2 nights and enjoyed every minute of our stay
Mosaics are wonderful
Had 2 very good dinners and loved the uncrowded town

We stayed 2 nights in Ravenna, and this seemed about right. It was in late September. We visited everything except the out-of-town site. We found the town to be very nice - not big, easy to walk around in. There were several nice restaurants, a central market-mall.

I love Ravenna. It's a city where people work and thrive despite the tourists around them. It's a very walkable city (and flat!) and a lot of the locals get around by bicycle. I am in awe of the mosaics throughout the city that bridge the artistic expressions of the Roman Empire and the Christian Byzantine Empire. The mosaics are worth spending time with and really enjoying. I've stayed in Ravenna twice, once for two nights, and once for three nights. I will be returning for five nights later this spring to take a (second!) mosaics course. If you are also so inclined, right across the street from the Basilica Saint Apollinare is a wonderful friendly mosaics studio named Koko Mosaico, which offers half day, full day, and five day mosaics-making courses for both raw beginners and for more experienced mosaics makers.

Sounds wonderful. Are advanced reservations needed for the mosiacs course?

Ravenna was great. We did the city in one day, but you could stay one more day.

Yes, you would need to reserve if you want to take a mosaics class: https://kokomosaico.com/en

Re. the mosaics-making course: Look on their website, kokomosaico.com. There are lots of photos and a way to make inquiries. I believe advance reservations are needed so that they can plan materials, etc. I took a one day course there several years ago and ended up being the only student there that day, although I understand that most days there are more students. Arianna, one of the two owners of the studio, was my teacher for the day and she is delightful, kind, and is an excellent instructor. I left with a lovely 7" x 7" mosaic copy of one of the golden stars in the Mausoleum of Galla Placida (that I made myself!) and several pages of notes and instructions so that I could remember what I had learned.

Thanks so much, all. I think that the mosiacs class is a must do!

I think Ravenna is now serving as a port for cruise lines, and I’d be inclined to make reservations for as much as possible as soon as possible. We had two very nice dinners at Trattoria La Rustica. Very good food and gracious people.

It’s nice to see so many people enjoyed Ravenna. Have a great time.

Thank you all for your comments. They were extremely helpful and Ravenna is definitely on our itinerary.

If you are going in winter, the mosaic sites are cold. If you go in spring to fall, expect crowds and possible lines to get into the smaller sites. Take binoculars to really appreciate the mosaics.

If the weather's good, you may want to get bicycles to get around Ravenna (though everything is easy walking distance) and to ride out to Classe as well.