Ravenna is one of my new favorite places in the world. Albergo Cappello was so charming, modern and updated... super chic decor in the lobby and rooms were comfortable and cozy. Location was right in the middle of town - everywhere is within walking distance. I did like the adjoined restaurant - great selection of local wine, good food. Great place to discuss and wonder at all of the dazzling mosaics all over the city. Just thinking about it makes me want to book my next trip...

We stayed four nights. The hotel is very well appointed and well located in the heart of Ravenna’s historic centre. The hotel staff were all very pleasant and helpful. Two negatives: our room had virtually no storage except for a rather awkwardly placed wardrobe (no drawers) so we lived out of our suitcases for the duration of the stay. The apparently well reputed hotel restaurant was closed from Sunday evening till Tuesday (we arrived on Saturday), and booked out for a function on the Tuesday. We were invited to dine in the bar. The food was acceptable, the service arrogant: the maitre d’ felt it necessary to hold a loud and lengthy conversation over our heads as we sat at table, without any acknowledgement of our presence. Fortunately there are some great alternatives in Ravenna – see my review of Locanda del Melarancio. Ravenna itself is a stand out location, not to be missed. Four days was just enough time to do it justice.

We stayed at the Albergo Cappello in late May, 2010. We had already been in Italy for a few days and were happy to be experiencing beautiful, warm weather. Having traveled to Italy many times I was very careful to ask when I made the reservation whether the rooms would have air conditioning functioning in the rooms on the date of our stay. Hotels are known to "have" air conditioning without turning it on because it is not yet the season for it, regardless of the temperature. So on arrival we were first shown to a lovely suite full of sunlight. When I asked about the A/C, the manager suggested that we look at another room which might be "more fresh." It was the Tower room (107) which was not as lovely but was darker and seemed cooler in comparison. She turned on the A/C unit beneath the windows which simply pulled outside air into the room. When I noted it was not cooling she said that the the repair man had been called to come over and fix it. The room was smaller and also was not located on a floor where the elevator stopped. So those of you who have heavy luggage might take note of this fact. But we figured if the A/C could be fixed it would be fine. When we came down to leave the hotel and walk around Ravenna she told us again that she had just called the repairman. But when we returned a couple of hours later she said she had spoken with the repairman; he was not coming over, but he advised that it takes some time for the A/C to work. Well, I would guess by November there should be no problem because by then the outside air will be cool enough to cool down the room. In sum,we were conned! How do you rate a hotel that does this to you? We came to see the sights of Ravenna and not to shop hotels for their A/C.

In all fairness, this was the only major problem in our 2-day stay. The hotel is lovely and well-located. However, as a rule, the better the location of a hotel in any medieval area, the greater the hassle for tourists in their cars trying to find it. Once we arrived in our car, we were told where a couple of possible garages were located and given a map on how to get there. But when I went to pick up the car on checking out, I found that I could not retrace the route back to the hotel because of the one-way streets. This is not the fault of the hotel, of course. Just be prepared for a much longer trip through the maze of streets. If you choose to stay at a larger hotel with more people to assist you, they might be able to take your car and park it for you and then retrieve it when you leave. This is what they did for us in Bologna and Parma. But not here.

Breakfast is served in a very pleasant room. Rolls, croissants, yogurt, cereal, juices, meats, and cheeses (but no eggs) are served are with your choice of coffee or tea.
The rooms are very clean and attractively decorated. There are several English-speaking TV channels, including CNBC. The bed is comfortable (but a good night's sleep is difficult when the temperature in the room is too warm) and the bathroom has a great rain shower that never varied in temperature when used.

As you can tell, I have mixed feelings about this hotel. If you are visiting at some time when there is no need for A/C, you might well consider it for its charm and location. But it is hard for me to recommend it when I was the victim of specific misrepresentations made both when I made the reservation and when we first arrived. This suggests a lack of integrity on the part of management, which is disturbing.

The cost of the 2-night stay was 360 euros, which included a pass to the major sights of Ravenna (the mosaics are awesome!) and a book explaining the mosaics as well as the aforementioned breakfast. The garage costs were an additional 26 euros, payable to the garage.

When most visitors would consider Ravenna a day trip option, I had adhered to what was stated in the Michelin Green Guide to Italy that Ravenna is a 3 stars (the highest rating) city to visit, and booked the Albergo Cappello for a two nights stay right away. When there are not too much choices of hotels in Ravenna, it took me merely seconds to choose this gem of a boutique hotel.

Based merely on photos which I had seen on the internet and what Cinzia had recommended me, I change my reservation from the historical Amaranth Dream suite to the Rosa & Rose suite. I was very very gald with my choice since quietness is of utmost importance to jet lagged travellers like us. You see, though the Amaranth suite has antique ceiling frescoes, the Rosa suite was facing an internal restaurant courtyard, which wasn't used in winter ....hence, total bliss for our two nights stay here.

The Rosa & Rose suite is huge, almost like an apartment but without kitchenette facilites - it is down a few stairs, has a large sitting hall with two double armchairs, two separated small but cute marbled bathroom and toilet, and a comfortably sized, silk walled romantic bedroom. There are a total of 3 windows in the suite, offering direct views of the lovely & charming courtyard. And there was even a mid-sized glass elevator in the Albergo - very efficient and modern.

There are also a total of 3 doors leading to the bedroom of the suite, making sure that you do not hear the slightest noise from the hallway! Also, there are two TVs, one offering Sky TV, which has practically a few hundred channels to enjoy - a rarity even in some 5 stars hotels!!! There was also free internet in the suite, important for my husband with his laptop. Last but not least, there were sweets, Lindt chocolates everywhere, for us to nimble on ...Plus, a book on Ravenna sights. But do watch out for the extra calories while munching on those sweets.

And guess what, we had paid an average of only 170 euros per night for the suite, with the main 4 museums in Ravenna covered by a free voucher! Though there are cheaper options in Ravenna, we thought we got a pretty good deal, considering the charm of the Albergo, the size of our suite and the pleasantness of all the staff working there - 2 x Cinzia, and Alessia, all charming, helpful and thoughtful!

The location of the Albergo? Couldn't be any better as you are directly opposite the Mercato, which is merely 5 or 6 steps away, but there was no noise at all since it was a totally covered market. Most sights Ravenna has to offer, esp. the St Vitale Church and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia are very nearby. Even shopping on Viale Cavour was merely steps away, too.

Our only slight gripe here was the pillow were too thin to sleep on, but I had used a rectangular shaped cushion to place on top of the pillow, and slept very well afterwards. As for breakfasts, it was good quality pastries but limited in range, as was to be expected since the Albergo has only 7 rooms. But that was a blessing in disguise, as we had dined twice at the highly rated, Locanda Melarancio (Via Mentana, 33). Loved the Parpadelle with black truffles there, yum! On the other hand, the degustation menu at 34 euros each at Ca de Ven was good value, but only above average in taste.

Lastly, we made the grave mistake of visiting Ravenna and the Emilia-Romagna region in December 2009, when Italy was experiencing one of its worst winters in 15 years. Heavy snow was everywhere, and even our day trip to the San Marino Republic had to be cancelled. A short bus ride to the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe also proved futile, closed during heavy snow! But all these is no fault of the Albergo, I must stress.

Overall, we liked Ravenna, and would most probably return to see the balance sights which we had missed due to the slower pace during winter (had to walk extremely slow on ice!). Luck was on our side when we could get cabs to the train station for our ride to Ferrara, but only to realise there was a two hour delay at the station, also due to heavy snow ...

Among all the cities we had visited on this trip, we liked Parma, Ferrara and Ravenna the best. Hated Modena and Milan. Florence was fine, but with hordes and hordes of tourists though. Will try to revisit this charming Albergo and our new friends working in it when in Ravenna again. Ciao!