ravenna
 

A friend of mine is having an art show in Ravenna, My wife and I would love to visit him during the show. We would be leaving from NYC and plan to spend about 10 days in Italy, including a few days seeing the show.
Any advice as to what city we should fly into and advice on what we should see in the area.as well as hotels would be appreciated
We have been to Italy several times seeing, Venice, Rome, Florence, Sicily, Milan and Naples

Where to fly into is rather limited, esp. if you are committed to a given airline alliance. If you wish to fly direct from the states, you'll end up landing in Milan, Venice, Pisa or Rome. If you change planes someplace in Europe, you can probably get a bit closer to Ravenna (e.g., Bologna, Florence).

Ravenna is an extraordinary city which many people overlook. It has some of the best preserved early Christian and Byzantine art anywhere in the Mediterranean. The Masoleum of Galla Placidia, Church of San Vitale and Church of Sant'Apollinaire in Classe are all worth visits.

W/that said, it probably isn't a place where one would want to spend 10 days.

Ravenna is a lovely town, with stunning mosaic art and superb food but I agree with bdemaria that ten days there are too much, about half that would be perfect for seeing all of it at a leisurely pace.

I have stayed both at the NH Hotel and at the Galla Placidia bed & breakfast, both comfortable.

Superb food at the Locanda del Melarancio

I agree that a few days in Ravenna would be about right. Bologna is nearby and stunning. If you rent a car, you could spend some time in small villages or rural properties, such as some of the R&Cs (which are highly variable in Italy IME). Verona would be another possibility.

From the USA, I would aim for flights to either Venice or Milan.

It's very clear that you don't want to spend all ten days in Ravenna, just a few days seeing the show. That said, a lot depends upon whether the visit is this fall, or next spring or summer.

Mirabilandia! Hehe, I guess only if you have kid. We drove there from Verona, but it was a long drive, about 4 or 5 hours. We drove around the area quite a bit. The beaches are strange with all the beach chairs line up like an army. We actually like Italia in Miniature. We also drove to Republic of San Marino. I think it was worth the drive just to say that you have been there! The view was nice too.