Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
€€
-
€€€
(Via G. Rossi, 47;
%
0544-39164;
www.hoteldiana.ra.it)
occupies an old
palazzo
just north of the city center, it has
the feel of a pleasant country hotel. The surrounding streets are residential and
quiet, and the bright lobby and bar open onto a lovely garden. The rooms, no two
of which are the same, are handsomely decorated with an innovative flair—with
pretty striped wallpaper and mahogany headboards and armories. Those on the
top floor are the most charming, with sloped ceilings and large skylights. Rates
depend on the room category:
€
83 “standard” (slightly smaller with blander, but
new, furnishings),
Though the stylish
Diana
5
115
“deluxe” (superior plus ADSL Internet), and
€
125 “executive” (deluxe with a
canopy bed).
€
100 “superior” (larger, with nicer stuff and minibars),
€
55
(Via IV Novembre, 41;
%
0544-219813; www.albergocappello.it)
has been a hotel
since 1885—though the current, seven-room version only opened in 1998—
occupying a beautifully restored, 14th-century
palazzo
in the city center. The four
suite-category rooms (
€
160-
€
180) have been carved out of the grand salons and
are enormous, while smaller doubles (
Now about that one exciting option: The boutique inn
Cappello
€€€
110) occupy less grand, but no less styl-
ish, quarters of the old
palazzo.
Fifteenth-century frescoes grace the corridor,
lounge, sitting room, and two junior suites (no. 106, “Towards Blue,” and no.
103, “Amaranthine Dream”), while throughout the rest of the hotel, terra-cotta
floors, painted beamed ceilings, and other architectural features have been
restored when possible. The furnishings are either reproduction or contemporary
design. Because the Cappello is operated as an annex of the Diana (see above),
services are minimal—the front desk is staffed only during the day—but there are
two restaurants on the premises (for the cheaper, cozier
osteria,
see Cantina
Cappello, below). The hotel is up two short flights of stairs from a hallway often
used to exhibit work by a local artist. Reserve well in advance.
Whatever you do, stay away from the nearby Al Giaciglio, recommended in
some guides—unless, of course, you don't mind sharing your room with bedbugs.
Dining for All Tastes
For picnic pickings, take a stroll through Ravenna's lively
food market,
the Mercato
Coperto, near the center on Piazza Andrea Costa, open Monday to Saturday 7am
to 2pm.
€
55
(Via C. Ricci, 24;
%
0544-30163; Tues-Sat),
is tucked away under massive brick vaults on the
ground floor of a 16th-century building next to Dante's tomb. In fact, Dante is
said to have lived here when the premises served as a lodging house. The ornate
shelves that line most of the walls come from a later reincarnation and were
installed to outfit a 19th-century spice shop; they now display hundreds of
Emilia-Romagna wines, many of which are available by the glass (from
The most atmospheric
osteria
in Ravenna,
Ca de Ven
€
1.50).
Piadine,
the delicious local flatbread, is a specialty here, topped with cheeses,
meat, or vegetables—or served plain as a perfect accompaniment to cheese and
assorted salamis (
€
3.50-
€
6). The
osteria
offers three to four pasta and meat
courses daily. If there are two of you, you can share a
bis di primi
(pick any two
pastas) for
€
8 each, or a
tris di primi
(sample three) for
€
9.
€
