The hidden restaurant in the cellars of Lord Byron’s former residence in Ravenna

“It all started several years ago, in 2019, when the restoration of Palazzo Guiccioli began,” recounts Massimo Serena Monghini. At that time, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ravenna approached the restaurateur to involve him in the creation of a new cultural hub housing the Byron and Renaissance Museums: 24 rooms spread across two floors, one for each museum. Two dining establishments with an adjoining speciality shop occupy the ground floor on the centrally located Via Cavour, just a 7-minute walk from Dante’s Tomb.

The careful restoration of Palazzo Guiccioli has revived the original beauty of these spaces, once home to the Romantic poet Lord Byron. The palace holds a legacy of objects, furnishings, and writings reflecting Byron’s distinctive style, as well as bearing witness to pivotal historical events. These include the early Carbonari conspiracies leading to the 1820-21 uprisings and other significant episodes of Italy’s Risorgimento.

The facility, however, aims to appeal not only to history and literature enthusiasts but to a wider audience of locals and tourists, opening its former cellars and courtyard as dining spaces.

Taverna Byron at Palazzo Guiccioli

Named Taverna Byron, the restaurant is managed by the team behind the historic local eatery Osteria del Tempo Perso (led by Massimo Serena Monghini, Bianca Scudellari, and Lucio Fossati). At Palazzo Guiccioli, they offer a menu focused on regional classics featuring local ingredients.

To start, the selection includes cured meats (from producers like Zavoli and Franceschini) and cheeses (such as Brancaleone from Roncofreddo), alongside tartares, carpaccios, and seasonal vegetable flans. The star of the show is fresh pasta—unsurprising in this region—with staples like tagliatelle and cappelletti available year-round. Cappelletti come in three variations: with ragù, in broth, or with butter as a vegetarian option (in the Ravenna tradition, the filling is exclusively cheese). Daily specials may feature dishes like lasagna (not strictly local), passatelli in broth during winter, or a rotating selection of risottos and soups, such as pumpkin soup to kick off the season.

Main courses include classic meat preparations like roasted or stewed guinea fowl, stuffed rabbit, and beef dishes. Desserts stay traditional with chocolate salami, mascarpone, and zuppa inglese, a regional favourite dedicated to Lord Byron. A dessert inspired by Fanny, the Guiccioli family’s housekeeper, is also under consideration. Completing the offerings are pantry-style cakes, connecting the restaurant to Bar L’Incontro, once home to Byron’s personal zoo animals.

Bar and Café L’Incontro

Open from morning until early evening—“we’re still figuring out the exact hours,” says Monghini—the bar operates on two fronts. Mornings feature a homemade, gluten-free breakfast selection including cakes, pancakes, muffins, and biscuits paired with coffee from the Gourmet Coffee Roastery of Imola. For lunch, there’s a quick-service menu offering tartlets, soups, stuffed focaccias, seasonal salads, savoury pies, and pastry shells filled with cheeses, cured meats, or smoked fish.

An Asian twist is evident in fermented vegetables and koji-based sauces, thanks to Saori Suzuki, a Japanese chef from Osteria del Tempo Perso. This influence extends to the tapas served during aperitivo.

Additionally, a shop offers a selection of wines (with about 100 labels from the Taverna Byron cellar), oils, pickled vegetables, homemade biscuits, and museum-themed merchandise. While the museum will open during the last weekend of November, the restaurant launch will follow shortly after.

Taverna Byron - Ravenna - via Cavour, 54