Ravenna

Ravenna lies about 80 km (50 miles) east of Bologna in Emilia-Romagna and is best known for eight UNESCO-listed early-Christian and Byzantine monuments decorated with some of the finest mosaics in Europe. Regional trains from Bologna Centrale take roughly 1h 15min to 1h 30min, often with a change at Faenza or Castelbolognese, and cost about EUR 8-12 one way. The station is a short walk from the compact old town, so the monuments can be reached on foot. Basilica di San Vitale on Via San Vitale is the usual starting point, with its glittering 6th-century apse mosaics depicting Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. Next door, the small Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is famed for its deep blue vault and starry ceiling. Visitors then continue to the Neonian Baptistery and the Arian Baptistery, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo with its long processions of saints along the nave, and the Archiepiscopal Chapel. Sant'Apollinare in Classe, a few kilometres outside the centre, and the Mausoleum of Theodoric are the remaining sites and are reached by local bus or on foot or bicycle. The tomb of Dante, who died in Ravenna in 1321, stands near the Basilica of San Francesco and is free to visit. A suggested one-day arc is San Vitale and Galla Placidia in the morning, lunch of cappelletti or piadina with local cheese, then Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and the baptistery in the afternoon, finishing at Dante's tomb before an evening train. Several of the main monuments are covered by a combined ticket, which is usually the best value. Spring and autumn are most comfortable, and an early start avoids school groups. Mosaics are interior, so rain affects the day less, though walking between sites is pleasanter in dry weather. In summer, Lidi Ravennati beaches can be added by local bus from the station.