By Francesca of the Stanz@Ravenna team
You’ve chosen your degree programme. Or you’ve found a job in Ravenna.
Now you need somewhere to live.
And as you search for a room in Ravenna, you discover that finding the right place can become a job in itself.
You start with the listings.
You open the photos, when there are any. Check the addresses. Try to work out what you’ll really pay, how you’ll get to class and whether the room will be available when you need it.
If you’re helping your child move, you have questions of your own: Where will they live? What will the place be like? Who can they call if something goes wrong?
Finding a rental in Ravenna is difficult for students, workers and families alike. In October 2026, Ravenna’s SUNIA tenants’ association reported in the local press that homes are scarce for people who want to settle in the city, with consequences for people moving here for work, too.
For a young person, finding a listing is only the beginning of finding the right home.
They need a well-kept room, a location that works for everyday journeys, clear rental terms and someone to turn to.
These needs become even more pressing when you arrive from abroad, without speaking the language or knowing anyone locally.
The search that inspired Stanz@Ravenna
Andrea Lisi, founder of Stanz@Ravenna, knew this challenge firsthand. When he arrived in Ravenna, he was a young professional without children and struggled to find a place to rent.
From searching for a home to renovating apartments: a note from Andrea
In 2018, I moved to Ravenna with my partner, who later became my wife. We were looking for a home in the city centre, but finding a suitable rental was harder than we expected. I remembered that struggle when, years later, I decided to reinvest some of what I had earned through my work in the digital sector.
In 2023, I studied the local housing market and began buying and renovating apartments. The first, on Via Diaz, opened in January 2024. Reaching our third renovation, in Piazza Baracca, feels personal: I can offer other young people a well-kept place to live and someone local to turn to, remembering how much I needed both when I first arrived.
Andrea Lisi, founder of Stanz@Ravenna
In his twenties, Andrea lived in shared apartments in Rome, Taiwan and the Middle East, with four, six or even eight residents, as well as in large student residences with dozens of rooms.
Each experience brought him into contact with people and cultures from around the world. It was also a way to live fully and make lifelong friends.
When he considered reinvesting some of the proceeds from his digital business in 2022, he decided to create something similar in Ravenna, where it did not yet exist.
Over the years, he collected listings, addresses, prices and notes. Some ads had no photos or offered scant, confusing information. Others had been online for months.
Search results for Ravenna included rooms in outlying villages and beyond the city: a very different proposition for someone who has to reach university every day without a car or reliable public transport.
Private rooms, bed spaces and rooms shared with the owner appeared side by side.
Costs and terms were presented inconsistently. Every few months, supposed rental agencies appeared and invariably turned out to be scams. After an initial enquiry, many landlords also revealed they were unwilling to offer properly registered rental agreements to avoid paying tax.
That led to a clear decision: buy and renovate apartments from the 1950s and 1960s in the heart of the historic centre, offering well-kept rooms and a management team that remains involved after the keys are handed over.
Via Diaz: the first apartment, open since January 2024
The first address was Via Diaz, near Piazza del Popolo.
The first rooms opened in January 2024, after we bought and renovated the apartment.
After · Explore the apartment in the virtual tour, starting with its rooms as they look today.
The finished apartment had to work in everyday life: a place to sleep, study and work, with shared spaces and a private room of your own. That is why the project includes both the spaces themselves and the way we manage them.
Explore the rooms and shared spaces on Via Diaz.
Piazza Mameli: living between the city centre and the station
Piazza Mameli followed in 2025.
Here too, we began with an existing apartment in need of renovation.
The location between the historic centre and the station helps students and young professionals reach their classes, everyday services and rail connections.
The official photos and the Piazza Mameli virtual tour let you explore the apartment before enquiring about availability.
For someone searching from abroad, or a parent who cannot accompany their child to every viewing, seeing the apartment before travelling removes some of the uncertainty.
Piazza Baracca: new rooms in November 2026
Our third renovation is in Piazza Baracca, opposite Porta Adriana, with a view of the Basilica of San Vitale. Once again, we began with an existing home, then renovated and modernised it.
The new apartment will be available for viewings from 15 November 2026. Reservations began arriving as soon as we announced it.
To find out which rooms are still available and arrange a viewing, ask our team for an update.
The Piazza Baracca page introduces the new apartment.
With this addition, Stanz@Ravenna will have 19 rooms across its apartments, including those due to open.
More than €915,000 invested in renovating existing homes
Since 2023, we have invested more than €915,000 in buying, renovating and furnishing three properties in central Ravenna, excluding interest on financing.
We chose to renovate homes from the 1950s and 1960s, often left unused, and adapt them to the needs of students and professionals. These are homes within existing buildings, so the project does not use new land for construction.
We have not received public funds or financing. That means we have not yet been able to renovate entire buildings or create large additional shared spaces alongside the rooms.
Three apartments cannot solve a city’s housing shortage. But they show one practical contribution: renovating what already exists and adapting it so that it meets the needs of people looking for a home.
A home has to work beyond the photographs
You can see a renovation straight away.
The quality of management becomes clear in the months that follow: when something breaks, a bill arrives or an international resident needs help understanding a message.
Our model includes a dedicated contact, support in Italian and English, shared living rules and services arranged according to the terms for each apartment.
Cleaning the shared spaces, carrying out maintenance and managing utilities are ongoing responsibilities.
Before choosing a room, ask about the total cost, any additional charges, the proposed rental agreement, travel to your university or workplace and who to contact about the apartment.
Between the 2025–26 and 2026–27 academic years, the retention rate among residents exceeded 80%. A meaningful result for us and a sign that our approach is working.
The next step: a service for other property owners
Anyone who owns an apartment may see an opportunity and, at the same time, worry about the management of tenants and potential damage. We first took on those responsibilities in our own properties, with clear rules, support and care for the home.
We are preparing to extend our service to other property owners and investors, helping them bring unused homes back into use without having to handle the renovation and day-to-day management themselves.
Useful questions when looking for a room in Ravenna
Where are the Stanz@Ravenna apartments?
In central Ravenna: Via Diaz, near Piazza del Popolo; Piazza Mameli, between the city centre and the station; and Piazza Baracca, opposite Porta Adriana. Check how convenient each location is for your own university or workplace.
When can I view the Piazza Baracca apartment?
From 15 November 2026, by arranging a viewing with our team. We have already received advance reservations, so please check current room availability when you enquire.
How can I get availability and rental terms?
Fill in the form on the Stanz@Ravenna homepage.
Our team will send you details of available rooms and their rental terms.
For press materials and more information about the project: info@stanzaravenna.it.