Historic Ravenna, once the center of Byzantine rule in Italy, is now planning to rule the Adriatic Sea portion of Italy’s cruise business, offering a port and new terminal the the megaships now being banned from Venice.
Ravenna has signed a deal with Royal Caribbean, which will build the terminal, largely with Italian government money, and operate it for the city’s Port Authority. It will initially have berths for two ships at a time, and will be the homeport for RC’s Rhapsody of the Seas.
The planned terminal will open in spring 2024. In the interim, ships banned from Venice are using the industrial port of Marghera across the Lagoon from Venice, and it is possible that new facilities will be built there as well. Ravenna, famed for the rich Byzantine mosaics in a number of its churches, is about 90 miles south of Venica and 50 miles east of Bologna, the nearest international airport.
The two-floor terminal is projected to handle about 300,000 cruise guests each year; when cruises are not in port, the huge ground floor space will be able to host a variety of sports, trade shows, and more. The city and RC point to ‘green’ features, including shore-based power that will allow ships to turn off their engines while in port.
