Dante, the sea and nature

The relationship between Dante and the sea emerges many times in his works. Even though he was born far from the coast, during his life he touched many shores, on his trips, battles, and diplomatic missions.

The sea of Ravenna, just at the end of the pine forest, was a sweet companion to him, with its wild dunes, tranquillity, and the incredible variety of plants and animals.

Today the 9 beaches of Ravenna, scattered on a 35 km-long stretch of coast,  offer a great variety of activities for your holidays and free time.

Sport, relaxation, excursions, birdwatching, educational activities, great accommodation facilities, pubs and restaurants, they all blend together and exist while respecting nature and in the name of sustainability.

The symbol of this style of experiencing the sea is the project of the ‘Maritime Park’: with kilometres of walkways behind the dunes, new street furniture, dedicated street signs, and particular attention to mobility, it redesigns the relationship between the city and the coast, urban and natural areas, unifying them in harmony, creating new open spaces, well-equipped and ready to use all year round.

Therefore, you just need to choose which beach town you prefer, and enjoy your perfect holiday:

• Casalborsetti: among the favourite beach towns for vanners and travellers, this village develops along the two banks of the Destra Reno canal. It features wild unspoiled beaches and a little but modern tourist port;
• Marina Romea: immersed in the pine forest, it offers long beaches and a little tourist port by the mouth of the Lamone river. This surfers' paradise is a wonderful place for beach parties and romantic dinners;
• Porto Corsini: it’s a little town between the sea and the lagoon, ideal for outdoor activities, such as surfing and horse riding. The new tourist terminal has turned Ravenna into one of Italy's most important cruise destinations;
• Marina di Ravenna: it is undoubtedly the most famous and one of the oldest sea villages along the Ravenna coast. Many high-quality services and a tourist port await you with more than 1000 berths;
• Punta Marina Terme: famous for its thermal spa establishment located right on the beach, this beach town also offers a series of well-equipped bathing establishments, shops and restaurants;
• Lido Adriano: one of the biggest and most modern centres, it is one of the first choices for summer holidays. It features a lot of structures and beach establishments among which to choose, not to mention water slides, music, and cultural events for all ages;
• Lido di Dante: it is the smallest and the most quiet one, with unblemished dream-like beaches;
• Lido di Classe: choose it for a relaxing holiday; it is very suitable for families. Don’t miss the many initiatives dedicated to nature, mainly taking place in the pine forest of Classe;
• Lido di Savio: it’s the place with the greatest number of accommodation facilities. A large beach, an equestrian centre, sporting facilities and a lot of pubs for going out at night. It is the nearest beach town to Mirabilandia, one of Italy's biggest amusement parks.

And if you really want to know how Dante reached the sea of Ravenna, click here!

A “forest-dense, alive with green, divine” is described by Dante Alighieri in the XXVIII Canto of Purgatory.  The poet might have taken inspiration from the pine forest of Classe, a few km from Ravenna, for the description of the forest at the beginning of the canto.

The breeze flutters the branches, but the birds don’t stop singing, just as happens “Along the shore of Classe, through the pines when Aeolus has set Sirocco loose".

Host of Guido da Polenta, between 1318 and 1321, Dante used to walk in the “dense” coastal woods, until almost lost. Away from the rays of the sun, while finishing his masterpiece, he would contemplate the varied and flourishing nature all around.

Today Dante’s oak trees still exist, along the 4 km ring that from Parco Primo Maggio (Fosso Ghiaia) goes into the pine forest of Classe. Accessible on foot, by horse, or by bike, following this track you will reach the heart of the forest, passing through dry areas rich in oaks and domestic pines and wet areas populated by English oaks and oak trees.

Starting from this circuit, you can visit all of the pine forest: northwards, up to the town of Classe, a little village that unfolds around the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare of Classe, full of Byzantine mosaics, and southwards, until Savio and the lake of Ghiarine. In the East, the pine forest touches the coastal dunes and the mouth of the Bevano river, a unique and unblemished natural reserve, cutting through the natural reserves of Ortazzo and the Ortazzino, magical places with incredible biodiversity.

You can access these itineraries also by joining an organized tour, guided by environmental experts.

Click here to discover the map of the available itineraries.

Imagine Dante arriving in Romagna. From Tuscany, through the Apennines and across the woods of the Casentino, passing by sweet hills and lagoons, he reached the sea. It was a slow trip full of hopes, in search of a new hometown, which he found.

Today that trip has become an itinerary rich with cultural and naturalistic suggestions and has taken the evocative name of Il Cammino di Dante® (lit. Dante's walk).

It’s a circular walk, 400 km long, that symbolically unites Ravenna and Florence, highlighting the views and the places that the Supreme Poet saw and visited after his exile, and that he mentions throughout his Comedy.

The warmth and hospitality of the Tuscan and Romagna people will accompany you in a slow and fascinating experience, on the tracks along the mountain ridge already used in the early Middle Ages (Le Vie di Dante).

From Dante's Tomb to Dante’s Home Museum and back, going through some of the most beautiful villages in Italy, green forests, centuries-old hermitages, Roman tracks, picturesque castles, shelters, waterfalls and ancient bridges (and very little pavement, just 3% of the path!).

The walk has been embellished by artistic and cultural installations, inspired by the Supreme Poet and his works. It’s a trip to the astounding landscapes of Romagna and Casentino, where you can still sense the spirit of the times, without pomp, (and at a low-cost), entering a dimension with a medieval flavour, between challenges and beauty, body and soul.

The entire project includes 21 daily stops. Here we want to tease you, presenting the first and the last stop, both within the Municipality of Ravenna.

Ravenna-Pontevico marks the beginning of the walk. After a visit to Dante’s Tomb and Museo Dante, you leave the city centre and continue towards the countryside and the Fiumi Uniti river. Then, continue in the direction of Pontevico, which is the destination of the first day. On the horizon, still in the territory of Ravenna, you will spot the tower of Oriolo dei Fichi, the medieval village of Brisighella, the valley of the Lamone and then…

The last stop starts from Ponte Nuovo and takes you to the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, and then, passing through the pine forest, to the beach. From Lido di Dante continue along the beach, along the banks of the Fiumi Uniti river, and you will finally reach the city of Ravenna again. 

Il Cammino di Dante® is not just a trekking experience but a philosophic trip across the landscapes that aroused the curiosity and the wonder of the poet, his desire to understand the human soul and the world, through the fantastic staging of real and fundamental places of his life and his writings.