Cervia by bike: Pinewoods, Salt Pans and Mosaics with Sea View
Cervia by bike: Pinewoods, Salt Pans and Mosaics with Sea View
A journey through pinewoods, nature, cities and architecture to discover the beauties of Romagna
Cycling from the salt pans of Cervia to the mosaics of Ravenna: an easy route dedicated to amateur cyclists who want to set off on their bikes and cycle through wonderful lands rich in history and tradition.
Starting from the Baya Hotel in Milano Marittima, you can ride along the new promenade to reach Cervia's canal port in just a few minutes, going up to the historic centre. Cervia is also known as the City of Salt thanks to its Salt Pans, a population and nesting area for many plant and animal species, including the numerous pink flamingos. In the historic centre, you can see the lighthouse, the Museum and the Salt Warehouses, before getting back on your bike and heading for the salt pans. At the visitor centre, you can organise different types of visits through the large mirrors of water with their many reflections. The route then continues on to the Cervia Pinewoods, one of the most important green spaces in Romagna, and then up again to the Classe Pinewoods, a place much loved by Dante, who also described it in one of his cantos.
The route towards Ravenna, the Byzantine capital, can include a stop at the Ortazzo and Ortazzino Nature Reserve, a wild area of great naturalistic value, and the splendid Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, with its marvellous mosaics, and the nearby archaeological area, traces of the military port of Augustan Ravenna.
In Ravenna it will be possible to move around again by bike and choose which monuments to visit in this magical place with its many UNESCO World Heritage sites: certainly the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, with their examples of Byzantine mosaic art, or the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra, a Byzantine palace decorated with mosaics and marble inlays: a must-see.
The oldest monument in Ravenna, the Neonian Baptistery, Dante's tomb (and other places linked to the great poet) and the Basilica of San Francesco with its mosaic-paved crypt below sea level, are all worth a visit.
In the footsteps of the Byzantine Empire, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is worth a visit, bearing witness to the passage between the two empires, the Ostrogothic Empire of Theodoric and the Byzantine Empire of Justinian, and the Mausoleum of Theodoric, one of the most extraordinary examples of Ostrogothic monumental art, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, but without mosaics.
A place rich in culture, art and charm Ravenna so much so that, once you have left your bike behind, you can also reach two museums: the Tamo, guardian of tradition and the Mar, home to some of the most important art collections in the area.
One of the most beautiful itineraries to cycle along the Riviera Romagnola
There is a beautiful landscape to be found by cycling along the coast of the town of Cervia: from the historic centre to the fascinating Villa Ragazzena, along a pleasant flat itinerary about 10 km long.
The itinerary is very easy: from the large pinewood of Milano Marittima you follow a westerly direction towards the Casa delle Farfalle (Butterfly House), a structure housing a large variety of tropical butterflies, and then continue towards the hamlet of Castiglione di Cervia, where you can admire the famous Villa Ragazzena.
This is a large farmhouse in colonial style, with a small chapel for services dedicated to St. Joseph, which stood in an area that was initially marshy and unhealthy, then reclaimed by the Camaldolese monks of Classe, the same ones who built the villa in 1562. With the Napoleonic era and the consequent suppression of the monasteries it became private property, but the building has nevertheless managed to preserve its imposing and stately appearance.
The route from Cervia to here alternates natural landscapes, historic streets and country lanes and is truly relaxing, to be done in the summer when the temperatures are not yet too high or in the cooler hours of the summer.
Cervia has always been appreciated for its long, sunny, sandy coastline and is a popular holiday destination for families. It is also an ideal place for exploring by bicycle, even with children in tow.
A journey through pinewoods, nature, cities and architecture to discover the beauties of Romagna
Cycling from the salt pans of Cervia to the mosaics of Ravenna: an easy route dedicated to amateur cyclists who want to set off on their bikes and cycle through wonderful lands rich in history and tradition.
Starting from the Baya Hotel in Milano Marittima, you can ride along the new promenade to reach Cervia's canal port in just a few minutes, going up to the historic centre. Cervia is also known as the City of Salt thanks to its Salt Pans, a population and nesting area for many plant and animal species, including the numerous pink flamingos. In the historic centre, you can see the lighthouse, the Museum and the Salt Warehouses, before getting back on your bike and heading for the salt pans. At the visitor centre, you can organise different types of visits through the large mirrors of water with their many reflections. The route then continues on to the Cervia Pinewoods, one of the most important green spaces in Romagna, and then up again to the Classe Pinewoods, a place much loved by Dante, who also described it in one of his cantos.
The route towards Ravenna, the Byzantine capital, can include a stop at the Ortazzo and Ortazzino Nature Reserve, a wild area of great naturalistic value, and the splendid Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, with its marvellous mosaics, and the nearby archaeological area, traces of the military port of Augustan Ravenna.
In Ravenna it will be possible to move around again by bike and choose which monuments to visit in this magical place with its many UNESCO World Heritage sites: certainly the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, with their examples of Byzantine mosaic art, or the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra, a Byzantine palace decorated with mosaics and marble inlays: a must-see.
The oldest monument in Ravenna, the Neonian Baptistery, Dante's tomb (and other places linked to the great poet) and the Basilica of San Francesco with its mosaic-paved crypt below sea level, are all worth a visit.
In the footsteps of the Byzantine Empire, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is worth a visit, bearing witness to the passage between the two empires, the Ostrogothic Empire of Theodoric and the Byzantine Empire of Justinian, and the Mausoleum of Theodoric, one of the most extraordinary examples of Ostrogothic monumental art, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, but without mosaics.
A place rich in culture, art and charm Ravenna so much so that, once you have left your bike behind, you can also reach two museums: the Tamo, guardian of tradition and the Mar, home to some of the most important art collections in the area.
One of the most beautiful itineraries to cycle along the Riviera Romagnola
There is a beautiful landscape to be found by cycling along the coast of the town of Cervia: from the historic centre to the fascinating Villa Ragazzena, along a pleasant flat itinerary about 10 km long.
The itinerary is very easy: from the large pinewood of Milano Marittima you follow a westerly direction towards the Casa delle Farfalle (Butterfly House), a structure housing a large variety of tropical butterflies, and then continue towards the hamlet of Castiglione di Cervia, where you can admire the famous Villa Ragazzena.
This is a large farmhouse in colonial style, with a small chapel for services dedicated to St. Joseph, which stood in an area that was initially marshy and unhealthy, then reclaimed by the Camaldolese monks of Classe, the same ones who built the villa in 1562. With the Napoleonic era and the consequent suppression of the monasteries it became private property, but the building has nevertheless managed to preserve its imposing and stately appearance.
The route from Cervia to here alternates natural landscapes, historic streets and country lanes and is truly relaxing, to be done in the summer when the temperatures are not yet too high or in the cooler hours of the summer.
Cervia has always been appreciated for its long, sunny, sandy coastline and is a popular holiday destination for families. It is also an ideal place for exploring by bicycle, even with children in tow.