mandalay

Need advice please!

I have 4 nights spare in Italy and would like to see the east coast.
I have been to Venice.

Travelling by train. Travel time is between Christmas and new year.
I have considered: Ravenna and possibly Pescara.

Thanks

bvlenci

I would prefer Ravenna to Pescara.

Consider Le Marche, too. Along the coast, Fano and Senigallia are two towns that don't roll up the sidewalks in October. Of the two, I have a slight preferrence for Senigallia.

Inland, Urbino is one of Italy's most beautiful Renaissance cities, in a beautiful hilltop location. You can get there by bus from Fano.

In Le Marche, there are two major train lines. One runs along the Adriatic coast, and the other runs from the coast (near Ancona) to Rome. There is some truly lovely scenery inland, but it's hard to get to most of it without a car. Bus service is spotty, and downright scarce during school holidays, such as the week you'll be there.

If you decide to go there, I can help you plan an itinerary.

mandalay

Thank you so much for the advice.

sandralist

Ravenna is a spectacular sight and you do not need nice weather to enjoy it. Perhaps the next most interesting town would be Rimini which has both historic sights and a lot of remembrances of Federico Fellini. I have been there in November when of course all the beaches are in a deep sleep but it is still somewhat interesting to walk around (although nowhere as interesting as Ravenna). Rimini has a lot of high end stores so I am sure they are all open for Chistmas.

Have you been to Bologna? With 4 days in December spending 2 in Bologna and 2 in Ravenna might be very nice.

I also wonder if you have considered Trieste. Ravenna has the more spectacular sights but Trieste is quite an interesting city .

mandalay

No I have not been to Bologna. This sounds good.

sandralist

Bologna is quite cheerful in December and New Year's. There are nice prices for the hotels because there are no trade fairs. But the food markets are very busy because people are shopping to make holiday feasts. Winter food in Bologna (and Ravenna) is very nice. One unique pasta to try in Bologna is passatelli in brodo which is a fat pasta made of bread crumbs cheese and eggs that is served in hot soup. Winter is also excellent for mushroom dishes and truffles. In Ravenna they serve wonderful fish soups.

If you go to Ravenna for 2 nights be sure to take the very short bus ride to Classe to see the mosaics there. Also take a look inside the church of San Francesco even though it doesn't have mosaics.

While you are in Bologna the unique sights to see are the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie (only open in the morning) and the anatomical theater. If you particularly like music and frescoes then the oratorio of St Cecilia and the music museum are also worth tracking down . The very small medieval museum in Bologna is an outstanding treasure house and unique to Bologna. It is fun to walk inside the Palazzo Communale and look down at Piazza Maggiore from the upper floors. In addition Bologna has a beautiful art museum and many beautiful churches. It is interesting to take your time walking through the Jewish Ghetto and the area around Santo Stefano. The piazza of Santo Stefano is especially charming.

mandalay

is there a train from Bologna to Ravenna.

ellenem

Yes, there are trains between Bologna and
Ravenna. Click on my name to find my trip report about my visit to Bolognese and Ravenna in early March.

yestravel

Agree that Ravenna and Bologan are great places to visit. Ravenna is fantastic and as stated above there are trains from Bologna to Ravenna. We stayed in Bologna, which I loved, and took the train to Ravenna with no trouble at all. I think it was under 2 hours.