Living like a noblewoman in Ravenna

I usually do all our holiday planning, so I was pleased recently when my husband took over and planned a weekend escape to beautiful Ravenna, Italy, in the Emilia Romagna region.

He discovered a hotel I loved in the center of Ravenna: The Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi.

This was a noble palace built in the 1700s for a local noble family. Many of the rooms (like ours!) have beautiful frescoes.

Interestingly, a plaque outside explains that this beautiful palace also served for a short time as an orphanage for young girls.

We loved our stay here and it was a convenient location for exploring Ravenna and its beautiful churches and mosaics – and its charming piazze and streets.

We also loved the breakfast that – in the warm months- was held out in the peaceful courtyard. It made for a perfect start to the day.

Unfortunately, I brought some (necessary) work with me, so I didn’t join my husband and younger son for their early morning excursion. The hotel has bikes avaialble for the use of guests. For those who know Emilia Romagna, it’s a popular biking locale – not only for its beauty, but also because (unlike most of Italy) it is relatively flat.

So my husband and son worked up their appetite biking the easy 10 kilometer bike trail out to the Adriatic Sea and enjoyed a walk on the wide beach before biking back to town.

Ravenna itself is also full of bikes, so you can enjoy rides around town and the surroundings.

There’s plenty to do in Ravenna, but I enjoyed it even more with my short experience living like a noblewoman at the Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi. I was sorry to leave…