Ravenna like a local: 10 things to do

A city moulded through layers of artistic styles and historical events. Quiet yet bustling, suspended amid the treasures of its UNESCO heritage, the summer nightlife of the seaside resorts nearby, the cumbersome Romagna tradition and the street art that has made it, once again, an art capital.

It's a young, fun and contemporary destination.

Find out what to do in Ravenna like a local with our tips.

Have you ever wanted to explore a city like the protagonists of a 1970s video game? If so, Ravenna has an unusual and exciting experience for you.

 It's not a very local activity, but how can you resist?

A platoon of pixelated little monsters inspired by the 1978 Japanese video game Space Invaders appeared in the streets of Ravenna during two 'waves' in 2014 and 2015. French artist Invader created the mini-mosaics that are now part of the urban fabric.

Trying to capture them all for an out-of-the-box visit to Ravenna will be like taking part in an unusual treasure hunt.

All you need to do is download the FlashInvaders app and photograph the works you manage to spot. Each shot, also shown in real-time on the official website, earns you points.

Some mosaics are easy to identify, while others are camouflaged among the city's colours, so keep your eyes peeled! Best of luck on your adventure!

The best way to visit Ravenna like a local is on foot or by bicycle. 

The city has a well-developed network of cycle paths that make it easy for visitors to explore the historic centre and nearby seaside resorts in an environmentally friendly way. 

While the churches, mausoleums, and mosaics are undeniably impressive, it's worth taking the time to explore the more peripheral and popular areas, too. You'll find a wealth of modern and pop art to admire.

Art has always been a red thread linking the history of a stratified city like Ravenna. One of the best places to experience its contemporary guise is the Darsena district—no mosaic tesserae here, but building façades as canvases to imprint sensations, moods, and stories.

Street art has made this neighbourhood a hotbed of ideas and culture, one of the coolest in Ravenna. With the old buildings redeveloped and transformed into trendy clubs, the port area is now the stylish hangout par excellence. At sunset, amidst industrial archaeology, murals and plays of light, it's a natural magnet for tourists and locals.

Visit Ravenna like a local by exploring the cloisters and gardens that colour the ancient capital of Byzantine art.

Among the most beautiful and popular with locals are the fairy-tale hanging gardens enclosed in the antique property of a wealthy local family, the Rasponi. 

The site is just a stone's throw away from Ravenna's other iconic monuments, Dante's tomb and the Basilica of San Francesco. This small park embellishes the neo-romantic Palazzo della Provincia, which was built on the site of an 18th-century residence destroyed in a fire set by fascist squads in 1922.

It's a small, fragrant and colourful city corner adorned with a pretty fountain and a neo-Gothic lofty tower from the 19th century. The complex includes the Rasponi family chapel, a three-room crypt whose centrepiece is undoubtedly the mosaic floor, probably a part of the vanished 6th-century AD church of San Severo.

Dante spent the last years of his life in Ravenna, where he found refuge at the court of Guido Novello da Polenta. It's the place where the celebrated Sommo Poeta completed the Divine Comedy before his death occurred in 1321.

The traces left by the father of the Italian language draw an itinerary through locations that, in some cases, have left a well-defined mark on the collective imagination. For example, the Prima Classe pine forest inspired the Earthly Paradise described in his Purgatory.  

Ravenna has dedicated to Dante an entire museum housed in the monumental complex of the Ancient Franciscan Cloisters. The poet's tomb is located nearby in a small neoclassical building dating back to the 18th century. 

Visitors can pay homage to one of Italy's greatest literary figures every day. From April to October, at 6 p.m., and from November to March, at 5.00 p.m., you can listen to the reading of a Canto from Dante's Divine Comey. It's Ravenna's perpetual tribute (the idea is never to interrupt the tradition) to an author it loved deeply.

Shop in Ravenna like a local among local products, vintage items and an immersion in the most authentic taste of Emilia Romagna tradition.

The first stop is Mercato Coperto, an innovative meeting place and a paradise for gourmets featuring a restaurant and many shops where you can buy fresh pasta, freshly baked bread and quality local gastronomy. 

Next, take a tour of the street markets in Piazza Zaccagnini and Piazza Andra Costa (on Wednesday and Saturday mornings) and in Piazza Medaglie d'Oro (on Fridays).

If you happen to be in Ravenna during the third weekend of the month, you should definitely check out the antiques and crafts market, which takes place in the most beautiful streets of the city. Also, have a look at the exhibition dedicated to hobbyists and creatives taking place on Fridays from June to September and on the first weekend of each month from October to May. 

For a different kind of shopping experience, head to the Darsena neighbourhood and its varied flea market held once a month on Sundays.

If you're interested in buying zero-kilometre products directly from local growers, keep an eye out for the farmers' markets in Piazza della Resistenza and Viale Farini, as well as the Biomarché of organic producers in Piazza San Francesco on Tuesday afternoons.