Around the world : An unplanned day in Ravenna

Lost in the search for a decent beach

The sun was shining and it air was warm. What a great day to go to the beach! We were thinking of going to the beaches near Ancona (Sirolo, Numana, Portonovo) which seemed quite nice on pictures I have seen on internet and the locals in Cesena were confirming about their worth experiencing charm.

But since the weather forecast wasn't very optimistic for that day (it was supposed to rain), even if all the signs on the sky were not confirming the negative expectations of the weather prophets, we decided not to risk the excursion to a place where the only option was a beach and enjoying the sun and nature around. We agreed that we will go to a nice beach next to Ravenna, which was much closer to Cesena. And then if it rains, we will go to the city of Ravenna and shelter from the rain in a cosy cafe or "pleasure up" our time with some local food specialities.

That seemed like a good plan. But...Then we got lost with our chic white Fiat 500 and instead of ending up on apparently the best beach around the area (Milano Marittima) we found a not very popular Lido di Savio. What a shame we didn't check Milano Marittima was only a few kilometers away. But what can you do without GPS and with the "italian way" of placing indicators along the routes? My friend from Bologna (who is Italian) taught me during the hikes we made around Bologna that I should never trust Italian indicators. Just later on I understood the wisdom of my friend's words:)

On the way to getting lost

The good thing about the beach was the fact that it was almost empty. There were some kitesurfers a couple of hundred meters further from us, and they were actually enjoying the windy conditions that weren't that much to our liking.

Since there was nobody around and the sunbeds at no cost were available, we decided to take an advantage of them, even if I am not a type of "sunbed" person. They were actually quite comfortable so all us fell asleep peacefully on the abandoned beach.

Having a nap & kitesurfers in the background

After a couple of hours the weather prophecy was fulfilled and it did start to rain. We packed up and left to the city of Dante.

We managed to park our gorgeous car just 10 minutes walk from the city centre on a free parking lot and we started our stoll in the direction of centro storico. First, we passed by the Battistero Neoniano with the bell tower.

In front of Battistero Neoniano

And then we entered the Cathedral.

Inside the Cathedral in Ravenna

After five minutes walk we got to the centre. We were welcomed by the Piazza del Popolo and its two columns.

Piazza del Popolo in Ravenna

A column in Piazza del Popolo

At one end of Piazza del Popolo we entered a cafe. At 16:30 the only thing we could order was pizza and salad. For us it was enough. For me even more than enough as I didn't stay in. I ate my banana and half of a cracker I found somewhere at the bottom of my backpack. A bit squashed and a bit powered but still edible and didn't cost me 8 euros as the pizza would.

Caffe Silvano just next to a market at the side street of Piazza del Popolo

Instead, I set out in search of the Cathedral of San Vitale. As wikipedia says, "The Basilica of San Vitale is a church in Ravenna, Italy and one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine art and architecture in western Europe". It does look nice from outside. From inside, well... I cannot really have an opinion on that as I didn't enter. The entrance fee was 7 euros...

When you pass the monument of Garibaldi, you can get to Dante Alighieri's Thumb. Dante lived in Ravenna for 19 years, the last years in his life after he got kicked out from Florence (Lonely Planet reports, that the oil for the lamp that burns in the thumb is still provided by Florence). He wrote a big part of "Divine Comedy" in Ravenna.

Dante Alighieri's Thumb from outside

Dante Alighieri's Thumb - inside

After getting lost thanks to the Lonely Planet map and discovering Battistero degli Ariani on the Via degli Ariani (a picture below). I found a more useful map on the wall next to the above mentioned Battistero. Thanks to that map that I have photographed, I was able to find finally what I was looking for just within 10 minutes of walk - Basilica di San Vitale.

The map of Ravenna which really rescued me! As much as I like the Lonely Planet guides, I do think their maps are not as good as they should be...

If you are into mosaics and Roman Art, you can pay for the entrance 9.50 euros and enter the Basilica. Some details as to the Basilica, as well as to other historical buildings are briefly described under the official website: http://www.ravennamosaici.it/, available in english, spanish, german, french and of course italian:)