Ravenna May 5

 Today we drove from Rimini to Bologna via Ravenna, famous for its mosaics dating as far back as the5th and 6th century. Ravenna became the capital of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, which is when a number of its main monuments were built. 

Unfortunately we had to have our car back to Barcelona soon after lunchtime so we only had time to see a couple of the main sites. The first was the Oratory of San Andrea, the Archiepiscopal Chapel. A small space with stunning mosaics.

Screen in the Arciepiscopal museum

Oratory of San Andrea

Oratory of San Andrea

The Basilica di San Vitale is one of Ravenna’s UNESCO Monuments. A huge domed cathedral, the sanctuary is lined with brightly coloured mosaics on 4 sides.

Leone di San Marco

Domed ceiling of the basilica nave.

Outside the Basilica di San Vitale

Rimini May 4

 Today the car stayed in the garage and we walked in to the old part of Rimini via the Arco d’Augusta, built 27BCE. At the other end of the city is a beautiful bridge built in the first century. In between are old buildings, grand churches and lots of high end shops as well as the usual restaurants and cafes.

Returning to our hotel we decided we should at least walk down to the beach even if it wasn’t nearly warm enough to swim. In fact the water was freezing! In summer this beach would be covered with umbrellas and sun beds as far as you can see - for the use of hotel occupants or others who pay for an umbrella.

Arch of Augustus

Main square

Temple in honour of St Anthony of Padua

Tempio Malatestiano

Tempio Malatestiano

Archeological dig site Rimini

Chiesa di Santa Maria dei Servi - C14

Ponte di Tiberio (C1)

Roman Amphitheatre

Rimini beach

Fano and Rimini May 3

 Today we drove up the Adriatic coast to Rimini, stopping at Ancona, a major port city and then at a small seaside town, Fano, for lunch. Ancona dates back to Roman days with a Roman wall along one section of the dock with an Arch (pictured) named for Emperor Trajan. There was also a market in full swing which absorbed some (!) of our time there.

Fano has a city wall that dates back to the first century BCE and again some beautiful old buildings and large churches.

Our destination, Rimini is said to have 100 beaches, which we think means all the small sections reserved for beachside hotels. We would have driven past close to that many hotels going up the last part of the coast road. An endless line of hotels in varying conditions, from modern palatial to once glorious shells now left derelict.

Ancona

Church of Saint Maria della Piazza (13 century)

Ancona Harbour

Trajan’s Arch

Chiesa del Santissimo Sacramento

Fano old City Gate

Fano battlements

Fano

Fano Cathedral di Santa Maria Assunta

Fano

Rimini Beach from hotel

 

San Benedetto del Tronto May 2

 Steady rain all morning and early afternoon. But we went for a walk in the rain around lunch time to look for somewhere to eat. It’s still off season so almost nowhere was open but we eventually found Ristorante da Frederico where we had a delicious meal of risotto al mare.

As we walked home the sun came out for a moment and the sea suddenly looked better.

Ristorante da Frederico

A little sunshine helps

Norcia and San Bernadetto del Tronto May 1

 Our time in Assisi is ended so we head for the Adriatic coast via the hill town of Norcia. Norcia is famous for its Pecorino cheese and its salamis and prosciuttos. It’s also undergoing major reconstruction of several buildings so there’d were lots of fences and road restrictions. It was a public holiday so there were lots of people walking around carrying bags of small goods they’d come here to buy from one particular shop (see the photo below). We were happy to have a pastry plus a hot chocolate (Chris) and a gelato (Di).

We then drove on to San Benadetto in pouring rain. Not very good beach weather! Mind you if it were summer the beaches would be covered with umbrellas and sunbeds put out by the local hotels who each have their own stretch of beach.

Norcia Square

Norcia small goods shop

Church under renovation Piazza San Benedetto Norcia

Can’t beat Italian pastries and Gelato,

A miserable day at the beach 

Todi and Montefalco April 30

 The Duomo at Todi has a famous choir so we were hoping they might be singing at a service this morning but alas no service was happening! It was worth walking around the town in any case, though it was a long way from the top to the bottom. This time we caught a lift up from the car park to the top, then wandered our way down to the bottom where the Tempio Santa Maria Della Consolazione  is situated. A large domed church.

Chiesa di San Fortunata

Chiesa di San Fortunata

Duomo Todi

 

Rear wall Duomi

Palazza Todi

Fountain in back street of Todi

Tempio Santa Maria Della Consolazione

Having left Todi we drove to Montefalco, another walled city set on a hill. Here we had lunch and a wander around the streets until we worked our way back to where the car was parked.

Montefalco Square

View from Montefalco over a broad fertile valley