I've always wanted to go to Ravenna to see the mosaics and am under the impression that besides those amazing things there is little to offer at least exceptionally in this town?

I've been to northern Italian towns that have a vest-pocket inner city that is somewhat neat but industrial around it

I picture Ravenna like this. Or will i be surprised with a magnificent city square, etc.

Should i plan basically to see the mosaics or allot time for the town as well.

I'll probably day trip in.

thanks.

And of the mosaics what are the best ones IYO to make a pecking order if short on time?

What I recall of Ravenna was driving into a very ugly industrial area that surrounds the tiny city center. The center is quite small but does have its charm. I personally think arriving mid-morning and leaving late afternoon is sufficient, once you've gotten your fill of the amazing mosaics.

I believe there are only 3-4 specific buildings to see the mosaics (cathedral, baptistry...) that are all walking distance of each other. We bought a ticket that gave us entrance into all the specified buildings. It was back in 1999 so I don't recall where it was purchased but someone else can help with that.

I visited Ravenna last February as a day trip from Bologna. Here is the relevant portion of my trip report:

In the morning we took the 9:08 train to Ravenna. The trains leave pretty much every hour -- but some require meeting a connecting bus. These are readily apparent from the information on the ticket machines, or you can ask at the information office. The ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes, and is mostly through dispiriting suburbs. Arriving in Ravenna you can pick up a map of town in the train station.

It’s an ordinary little town today, although, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, “At one time it could’ve been/ The capitol of the world . . .” We were there, as I suppose most visitors are, to see the great mosaics of late antiquity. At present, these can be seen at six locations. The Cappella di St Andrea is closed for renovations and will remain so, I was told, for at least a year.

Of the six locations only one lies out of town -- St. Appollinare in Classe. This is easily reached by bus, and we decided to see it first. You can buy your tickets at a machine, or walk diagonally to the right across the parking area in front of the station to the ticket office and buy them there. You want either the 4 or the 44 bus. They leave about every twenty minutes. !!!BUT!!! both lines are loops, and the train station/depot where you are is the mid-point of the loop. If you board the bus at the stop in the parking lot, you will spend about twenty growingly anxious minutes wondering where the Basilica is. (Don’t ask me how I know this.) However, if you cross the street in front of the station and take a bus heading to the right (as you stand facing the station) you will shortly see the basilica. When you do request the stop. The bus will let you off behind the church. Or you can stay on while it completes its circuit, around the church and stops slightly beyond it on the way back to Ravenna. Walking distance is about the same. We decided to visit it first to get all this out of the way, and because it closes for an hour or two at 12:30.

I am not going to describe the famous mosaics, other than to note that all are rewarding, and that the vivid greens and golds will astonish you. Pay separate admission at St. Appollinare in Classe, then buy a pass (7.50 &euro at the first site you visit which will admit you to the other four. No ticket is required for the Arian Baptistry. San Vitale houses the grandest examples, the Mausoleum of Galla Placida the most intimate. One other piece of advice -- bring a small pair of binoculars. The detail is astounding, but will be largely lost to you without them. Mine were appropriated by a group of school children in St Appollinare Nuovo (“Nuovo” here refers to the 6th Century. Don’t confuse this with St Appollinare in Classe) and passed hand to hand until the alpha schoolgirl decided they had seen enough, and returned them to the poor foreigner standing bemusedly nearby.

The town is fairly small. We walked between all the churches after returning from Classe. Haven’t got a recommendation for lunch -- we just stopped at a likely looking cafe, which was fine. We took the 3:30 train back to Bologna, and so spent about five very full hours in Ravenna. Another note -- there is not much information on staying in Ravenna, even here, and someone once suggested that it was not a popular place to overnight. I thought most of the city was attractive and there seemed to be no lack of hotels. If your schedule demands it, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend the night there. One last tip, when you say “Ravenna” don’t hurry. The proper pronunciation is apparently more like “Ravennnn-nuh”

thanks all - Fra D - how far would you say the one by bus is by foot from town

i'm an inveterate walker

great details i'll print out for my trip.

I went to Bologna again last Jan and loved the city - may base there and day trip to Ravenna

I had visited Ravenna on a day-trip from Bologna when I made my second trip there. We stayed two nights and used it as a break from a busier trip in other cities. I did not notice industrial sprawl, but I arrived by train--the station is quite central to most of the sights.

Ravenna is very flat, walkable city with a pleasant pedestrian-only center. No dramatic mountain scenery, no green hills, but I find it a nice city going about its business. Bicycles are a very popular mode of transport and there are even city bicycles that the visitor can use.

When I day-tripped to Ravenna, we saw many of the most important sights, including St Apollinaire in Classe, (in the town of Classe), a short local bus ride from the center of Ravenna. We did miss a few of the sights we would have seen with more time. We found most sights crowded in the morning with bus tours, but by afternoon the tour groups had moved on to the next destination so the sights were enjoyably empty.

On my second visit, I was traveling with a disabled friend, so we took Ravenna at a slower pace. We arrived by train around noon, and visited some sights that afternoon. We enjoyed walking the quaint streets and sitting at a cafe. We had a magical moment in the cathedral with very few visitors and some angelic music. The next day we visited the remaining sights of interest to us, including a visit by bus to Classe. If I had a different traveling companion, I would have opted to bike there. Between Ravenna and Classe some of the countryside begins to break into the route--it would have been pleasant to bike past these fields to see this amazing church. We left early the next morning for our next destination.

Many would say we spent too much time in Ravenna, but we really enjoyed our stay.

PalenQ --

St. Appollinare in Classe is about 3.5 miles from Ravenna. Not a long walk, but not terribly interesting either. As the previous poster noted, the countryside is flat. Maybe take the bus out and consider walking back if it interests you?

You'll enjoy walking downtown Ravenna between the churches.

thanks Fra - think i'll save the walk for Ravenna itself - thanks

I day tripped from Ferrara, and was glad I hadn't stayed in Ravenna. I was also surprised by how much I liked Ferrara - from my trip report: "The almost intact nine kilometer circuit of medieval walls still encloses the core of the town, the Este's castle-palace still stands four-square within its moat, and the narrow streets of the former Jewish quarter still enchant, with some houses built literally across the street on arches. Arches are everywhere in Ferrara, along with shady arcades. So are bicycles, ridden by the locals around their very flat town. My B&B, the Borgonuovo, was also admirable, with helpful owners and homemade goodies for breakfast. I was sorry to leave."

I am going to Ravenna at the end of the month , how far is Ferrara, would I be able to go there for a few hours, is there any tour that can take me there?

See http://www.bahn.de/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml

Trains every hour, they take two hours.

What do you want a tour for?

I have some photos of the town as well as the mosaics - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/145707029

After the Ravenna shots, scroll past Modena to get to Ferrara. I was just in Ferrara in July. LOVED it.

Glad you are going -- we loved Ravenna -- I stayed for a week each of two additional trips and did a mosaics course each time.

Not only the mosaics, but the old center is well worth seeing IMO -- a friendly, pedestrianized, bicycle-oriented town--mostly Italians.

A couple of my trip reports referenced our time in Ravenna; if you are interested click on my name.

I was not crazy about Ferrara, but the ceramics museum in Faenza is definitely worth a visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4200858661/

I don't think you can do justice to the mosaics in Ravenna in a daytrip.

I'd allow two days, and mug up on the history of early Christianity (it really does help to understand what the role of Arians was, and how they came to be regarded as unspeakable heretics) and of the chaotic (if you lived through it) period between 400-550 when it was the seat first of the "Roman" imperial family, then of the Goths and Ostrogoths who took over control of Italy. From that chaos came forth the mosaics.

Rimini (mass seaside resort aimed at the domestic market, with wonderful cosy hotels full of dining tables with marked bottles of wine, but a few medieval gems around the place) is an enjoyable alternative place for a cheap room for the night. Decent bus service.

Rimini is a dump in my book, and only worth visiting for its historic and artistic sights, and for Fellini maniacs. It also appears to me that the question is about a day in Ferrara, not a day in Ravenna. That said, if the mosaics are your main focus, Ravenna can easily be seen in an easy day trip.

To get to Ferrara from Ravenna you need to make a train switch in Bologna. In Ferrara, it makes sense to take a cab from the train station to the historic center to avoid the longish walk if you are pressed for time. If you'd like to rent a bicycle, you can do so at the tourist office in the castle. You can also get a taxi near there to take you back to the station.

There are eight buildings with mosaics in Ravenna, one of them a short way out of town, so I don't think an afternoon is sufficient to see them - in fact I will be there next weekend for my third visit. Apart from a rather fine indoor market, Ravenna is just the usual type of very pleasant, walkable, small town that Italy is full of. And hotel prices are reasonable,there's no need to stay in Rimini.

In Rimini there is a lovely Italy in Miniature theme park, really lovely - we visited it last December.

There is also a very large sea-life aquarium in Cattolica.

There is also the Mirabilandia Amusement Park in Savio, close to Ravenna - check out their website, as it opens daily only in the peak Summer months, and weekends in some seasons - it closes in the Wintertime.

The promenades of the coastal towns of this region are lovely for long walks and relaxation.

We spent the night in Ravenna about this time last year, sightseeing (mostly mosaics) the first day and the morning of the second.

We liked it a lot because it is one of those Italian cities that manages to be both a real place and a tourist destination, and the streets were full of local kids and women with shopping bags and there were hardware and butcher shops within easy distance of the historic center.

It is also one of the rare places we visited where parking was accessible and cheap -- right behind San Vitale.

Agree about Ravenna having reasonable lodging in town in and right outside of the old center. Some good dining as well, as befits its location. I think the town is under-rated.

Never did the trip to Ferrara -- some day will do such a visit that includes Parma and Modena.