Ravena

[NCteacherlovescruising]

Our cruise changed Venice tender to a stop in Ravena. We are staying in Venice two days post cruise so aren’t interested in traveling to Venice from there. Has anyone tried either of these excursions?  NCL doesn’t have any reviews for them. 
 

[marazul]

@NCteacherlovescruising

I have not taken either excursion but I have visited both cities.  I would choose Bologna over Faena.  Bologna has been in the news recently with its huge, leaning tower. It is also the seat of the oldest university of the Western world (around 1000 years).

 

However, do not miss seeing the mosaics in Ravenna.  At the very least, go to the Basilica of san Vitale to see the 5th Century mosaics.  All sites are close together and easy to reach from the port. Search this board for details and google "Ravenna mosaics" for more info. They are magnificent and a top destination by themselves. 

[cruisemom42]

Your #1 choice should be seeing Ravenna itself. It has OUTSTANDING mosaics. I've never seen mosaics of this period that are so colorful and well done. Once you get to "downtown" Ravenna, you can walk to all of the churches and other sites to visit them. There is a pass that includes entry to the top 5 places.

 

I'd definitely cross Faenza off the list.

 

[euro cruiser]

Ravenna has a good tourism web site, in English.  If you look under "explore" you'll find a tab on the mosaics.

 

Ravenna Turismo - Official tourist information site

[Milhouse]

Similarly, have not done the excursions but we really enjoyed walking around Ravenna pre-cruise to explore the town and visit the mosaic sites.  The sites are scattered around town but it's a relatively leisurely walk as the distances aren't too far and it's flat.  

 

We visited Bologna post-cruise and happy we went.  Fantastic food and great architecture & public spaces.