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Ravenna
City in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Ravenna

Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.

Plan a trip to Ravenna→From Rimini (RN)

It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the fifth century AD until its collapse in 476, after which it served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom and then the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna. With a population of 156,475 inhabitants as of 2026, it is the 24th-largest city in Italy. Ravenna is also the second largest city in Italy by area with 653.82 km2.

Get in

Getting to Ravenna

The nearest airport to Ravenna is in Forli (about 20 km), but as of 2016 there no commercial flight to there. The other relatively close airports are in Bologna (about 80 km) and Rimini. In season there is a shuttle bus service – CRAB – operates between the Bologna airport and Ravenna (continuing to Cervia). Ravenna is one of top twenty ports of Italy. There is a ferry line to Catania.

See

Worth seeing

The early Christian monuments of Ravenna are included into UNESCO World Heritage list. You have to book a time slot to visit many of the sites like Mausoleo di Galla Placidia and Battistero Neonianoas as they are small and can take a limited number of visitors. In the high season book online ahead of arriving in Ravenna.

  1. 01
    Basilica di San Vitale

    The huge church of San Vitale has mosaics everywhere.

  2. 02
    Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
  3. 03
    Basilica di Sant' Apollinare Nuovo

    6th-century basilica with amazing mosaics.

  4. 04
    Battistero Neoniano

    Built c-ca 430 is the oldest building in Ravenna.

  5. 05
    Cappella di Sant'Andrea
  6. 06
    Battistero degli Ariani
Do

Things to do

Take the time to walk around. The town is full of the most charming surprises, be it a cafe or the outstanding fashion shops.

Eat

Where to eat

You are in Italy; eat Italian food. There are many small pizzerias and trattorias in the town that serve excellent and inexpensive fare. A typical meal of pizza and a beer will cost €10-15. In the main square, the cafe serves excellent Cappuccino for about €2. The self-service cafe in the 1 central market (just north of the main square and the Hotel Byron) is excellent for lunches (€7.50-10).

  1. 01
    Ristorante Al Passatore

    Via Guaccimanni 76 (opposite the Palazzo di Teodorico).

  2. 02
    Osteria Del Tempo Perso

    Via Gamba 12 (just around the corner from Hotel Bisanzio.).

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.