This would probably be a good time to mention that we have had a change of heart regarding the route we had planned for departing Italy and returning to Germany. Our original idea was to visit Venice, tour the coast and the area NE of Venice, then ride the Alpe Adria from Grado to Salzburg. Increasingly, we have become concerned that this might be the wrong year and month to do this. While staying in Ravenna, the weather has been changing and this has brought heavy snow to the Alps. We contacted one of the officials of the route, and they confirmed that conditions were not good. As well, watching the news, we have seen that Salzburg and the Austrian/German border are overwhelmed with the huge number of migrants needing help and transportation. The last thing we want to do is to be in the way and/or held up at a border. So, our solution is to keep heading south and ride to Rome....and why not? Barry hasn't been there since 1963 and Mary Ellen has never been there.
Around the corner from our hotel is a College of Art teaching mosaics and these are examples of what they create.
Before we headed out of Ravenna, we visited the post office to send a parcel of things we don't need for this part of the journey. We discovered by chance Dante's tomb (we kept missing it before). The tomb was built in 1780 by Cardinal Gonzaga whose coat of arms is sculpted above the entrance.
The bronze and silver garland at the foot of the sarcophagus was donated in 1921 to commemorate the 6th century of Dante's death on Sept. 14, 1321. The interior houses the sarcophagus that houses Dante's bones. The lamp burns olive oil supplied by the city of Florence (the city that expelled him in 1302).
We are so fortunate that the Tourist Office secured a room for us at Hotel Diana. We had tried to camp (closed) and we tried to stay at the Youth Hostel (full). Staying here enriched the wonderful experience we had sightseeing in Ravenna. Our upgraded "comfort" room was spacious and felt like home. It was nice to be sheltered from the rainy/windy weather we had for a few days.
Hotel Diana in Ravenna was our "home away from home" for a few days. The hotel is very comfortable, well located, has a great breakfast buffet and best of all is very well run by Fillipo and his wife with great staff (like the lady pictured here).
On or way out of town we stopped to see another historic building, and before we knew it we were surrounded by tourists who wanted to talk to us about our bike. We have had 4 days of being anonymous travellers on foot.
This couple are from Salzburg and were very interested in how our bike works as he is also an avid cyclist. Perhaps we'll see them again one day when we ride through Salzburg.
We stopped at a Lidl for supplies, and to our surprise, the Piadine stall that is considered one of the best in Ravenna, was in Lidl's parking lot. We had read about its curious location, but had no idea where it was.
And yes, she does make exceptional Piadines. We watched her take the dough and freshly make the bread before assembling our sandwich. Very tasty and fresh.
The route to the Adriatic out of Ravenna followed a beautiful green space with a bird reserve. The surface was not paved, but mostly good. The difficulty was the abundance of mosquitoes if we stopped.
Along the river leading to the sea, were a line of fishing cabins with large nets suspended for fishing. Some were very rustic and others were deluxe with solar panels, satellite dishes, etc.
The area along the coast from Lida il Dante is quite bizarre as it is only hotels and campgrounds, and they are all closed. It is like a ghost town. The hotels are boarded up. Miles of riding with nothing around.
