Bologna Done Right: The One-Bedroom Apartment at Art Hotel Commercianti

Bologna doesn't get enough credit as a home base, and staying at Art Hotel Commercianti's one-bedroom apartment is a big part of why I'd send someone there.

An Underrated Base for a Ravenna Cruise

We were in Bologna ahead of a cruise leaving from Ravenna, and it turned out to be the smarter play than the obvious choice. Most travelers default to flying into Venice, but Bologna's airport is served by plenty of low-cost and traditional carriers and is genuinely easy to get in and out of. The city itself is beautiful in its own right, and it's just over an hour by train to Ravenna — we made it to the port with no stress the morning of our cruise. If you've got a Ravenna departure on the books, or honestly even a Venice one, I'd build in a few days in Bologna before or after. It's an underrated add-on, not just a layover.

The Apartment Itself

The apartment made the case even stronger. The location is hard to beat — steps from Piazza Maggiore, with the apartment building itself about a 60-second walk from the main hotel. It was immaculate: plush linens, robes, cool air conditioning in the summer heat, and a level of thoughtful furnishing that made it feel more like a well-designed home than a rental.

The detail that stuck with me: they'd left a gift waiting in the room — a leather notepad and a bottle of Giusi balsamic vinegar. I looked it up later out of curiosity and realized it's a genuinely nice bottle, not a throwaway welcome gift. It's a small thing, but it tells you everything about how this property thinks about its guests.

For anyone flying in nearby or catching a cruise out of Ravenna, this is the base — and the apartment — I'd point them to.