72 – (ITA STAGE 24) – Ravenna – Forli’
| Place of Departure | RAVENNA |
| Place of Arrival | FORLI’ |
|
Length – KM
|
34,2 |
| Nation of the route | Italy |
| Region | Emilia Romagna |
| Uphill Gap |
28 m
|
| Downhill Gap10 m |
10 m
|
| CAI (Diff. Escurs.) | E |
| Praticability |   |
Stage 24 – Ravenna – Forlì – The Ravenna-Forlì connection takes place on the right bank of the Ronco river: comfortable, naturalistic, completely pedestrianised. The stage is long but easy to walk. On the border between Ravenna and Forlì you can choose two routes: two possibilities both very appreciable. A historic one, which enters the city, passes through San Martino (san Martinen in Strate del Monaco Alberto) and one that follows the right bank of the Ronco and arrives at the Terme di Fratta.
Exit Ravenna towards Via Cesarea, Via Romea, then Via Dismano (SR 71. Note that the SS71 runs through Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria). Upon reaching the bridge over the Fiumi Uniti, take the cycle path alongside Then we go up the clay embankment, which we will skirt up to Forlì.
TO VISIT: before taking the embankment, not far away are the archaeological excavations of the Port of Classe and the ancient Basilica of S. Apollinare in Classe.
Walking on the embankment you come across the confluence of the Montone river with the Ronco. Then the SS 16 Adriatica is underpassed. The road on the embankment is narrow but with limited traffic so there are no problems: it is paved but you can walk on the grassy bank. This is an agricultural area of some importance. You come across the ruins of the Church of S. Bartolo and then various towns, the first of which is Ghibullo, then Gambellara and San Pietro in Vincoli. Then you meet Coccolia and Borgo Sisa. From the Adriatic road to Borgo Sisa there are 15.2 km of embankment. At Borgo Sisa, take the concrete walkway that crosses both the Ronco river and the SS67 Ravegnana. Here the traffic is very fast and intense: you need to be very careful. Taking via Oraziana, the route follows country roads, crossing the A14 motorway and arriving near the town. Going straight on Via Ravegnana you enter Forlì through the old city gate, now Porta Mazzini. Further on, the center with Piazza Saffi, the Town Hall, the abbey of S. Mercuriale. From here, with the next stage, you will arrive in Meldola.
VARIANT FOR RONCO: from Borgo Sisa take the route that runs alongside the city of Forlì, going directly to the hamlet of Ronco. After Borgo Sisa there is Bagnolo. Cross the SP2 Cervese and taking country roads along the river, you reach the Sanctuary of Fornò. It is a half agricultural and half industrial area. Thus we come to cross the SS9 Emilia. Nearby there is the church, with the possibility of accommodation. The center of Forlì is 4 km away along the same Via Emilia, which takes the name of Viale Roma. From the hamlet of Ronco, in the Ronco Lido area, following the embankment, you reach Fratta Terme and then Meldola. This variant is 9.7 km. On the main route, the distance between Borgo Sisa and Ronco is 13.5 km.
24 – Points of Interest
Forlì – Forum Livii is one of the Roman market towns along the Via Emilia from Rimini to Piacenza. It was part of the reign of the Ostrogoths, and then the Byzantine Empire, together with Ravenna, until, following the intervention of Pepin the Short and the False Donation of Constantine, it became part of the patrimony of Saint Peter almost without a break until the unification of Italy in 1861. The most famous building in the city is the Church of St. Mercurialis, which dates back to the 12th century. The Lombard-style bell tower is the work of Francesco Deddi, who began it in 1178, but it was remodeled in later periods. Inside the church there are numerous monumental and pictorial works of art, including paintings by Palmezzano. Other interesting places in the city are Piazza Saffi, Corso Armando Diaz, Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, Piazza Ordelaffi, with the Cathedral, and the Palace of the Prefecture. The rationalist architectural heritage from the first half of the 20th century is outstanding. The renovated San Domenico Centre, a focal point for culture and prestigious exhibitions, is worth seeing.
Fiumi Uniti – Around 1260, the River Ronco, and from about 1320 its neighbouring River Montone, wrapped themselves around the walls of the city of Ravenna, surrounding it respectively to the south and the north-west, and then joining together to flow towards the Adriatic Sea. The two waterways repeatedly exposed Ravenna to devastating floods. Like the other Adriatic rivers (Reno, Lamone), the Ronco and the Montone have also been extensively regulated. In 1651, a new waterway was dug to connect Ravenna with the sea: the Panfilio Canal. It was 7 km long and flowed into the Candiano Port. In the 1730s, the whole hydrographic structure changed again: first, the confluence of the Ronco and the Montone was moved to the south of the city, and then it was moved away from the walls.
Sanctuary of Fornò – Dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie, construction was begun in 1450 at the behest of Pietro Bianco da Durazzo, a former privateer who became a hermit following a miraculous event. It is a large oriental building with a circular plan and an octagonal dome. The bell tower was destroyed during the war. Below, on the left, the Portrait of Julius II remains as a reminder of his visit in 1507. A copy of a painting by Perugino, the Family of the Madonna, is on the second altar on the right, while on the central altar is the icon of the Madonna Theotòkos, in whose honour Pietro Bianco built the Sanctuary. There also used to be a 15th century fresco of the Nativity by Marco Palmezzano, where the city of Forlì can be recognised as the background. It has now been removed and is kept in the Art Gallery.
please, see the Official Guide of the Via Romea Germanica (www.guidaromea.eu)
LINK CAMMINI REGIONE EMILIA-ROMAGNA
WARNING! in the wetlands of the plains provide yourself with products against mosquitoes
Bold type for structures we already used
Red type for structures we have an arrangement (with Credential*)
(*) Prices might change for special situations: please book early and ask for confirmation
How to arrive
| Bologna Marconi airport (www.bologna-airport.it) > shuttle Bologna FS Railway Station = (www.tper.it); tel. +39-051-290290 | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Bologna FS Railway Station – Faenza – Ravenna FS Railway Station | |
| Verona-Catullo airport (www.aeroportoverona.it) > shuttle Verona-FS = (www.atv.verona.it); tel. +39-045-8057811 | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Verona FS Railway Station – Bologna – Faenza – Ravenna FS Railway Station | |
| Milano-Orio al Serio airport (www.orioaeroporto.it) > shuttle Bergamo-FS = (www.atb.bergamo.it); tel. +39-035-236026 | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Bergamo FS Railway Station – Bologna – Faenza – Ravenna FS Railway Station | |
| Venezia-MarcoPolo airport (www.veniceairport.it) > shuttle Mestre -FS = (www.atvo.it); tel. +39-0421-594672 – Airport Shuttle Service: www.airservicepadova.it | TRAIN – (www.trenitalia.com) Venezia-Mestre FS Railway Station – Bologna – Faenza – Ravenna FS Railway Station |
Where to eat
 |
Typical Dishes = Il Cucchiaio | Typical Dishes = Dissapore | Typical Dishes = Gambero Rosso | Typical Dishes = Buonissimo |
| Conad | Via Achille Grandi,2 – 48123 RAVENNA | |||
| Conad | Via Cesarea/Serra – 48100 RAVENNA | |||
| Conad | Viale Kennedy,28 – 48100 RAVENNA | |||
| Conad | Via Romea Sud,45 – 48100 RAVENNA | |||
| Conad | Via Farini,89 – 48100 SAN PIETRO IN VINCOLI | |||
| Crai | Via Oriani, 2 – 48019 RAVENNA | |||
| Crai | Via Cervese 5385 – 47023 FORLI’ | |||
| D-Piu | Via dei Poggi, 58 – 48100 RAVENNA | 0544-471615 | ||
| D-Piu | Via A.Grandi,30 – 48100 RAVENNA | 0544-453153 | ||
| Eurospin | Rotonda dei Goti, 1 – 48100 RAVENNA | |||
| Sigma | Via Romea,120 – 48124 RAVENNA | 0544-63691 | ||
| Hotel Marta | Via Cignani,11 – 47122 FORLI’ | 0543-28288 | info@hotelmartaforli.it | www.hotelamartaforli.it |
| Hotel Gardenia | via Mellini 7, 47121 FORLI’ | 0543-402144 / 331-2190318 | info@gardeniahotel.eu | www.gardeniahotel.eu |
Where to sleep
Bike Service
| Renova | Via T.Baldoni,35 – 47122 FORLI’ | 0543-416891 / 335-8333212 | ||
| Baldoni Bike Shop | Via G.P.Dandi,2 – 47121 FORLI’ | 0543-473030 | info@baldonibikeshop.com | www.baldonibikeshop.com |
| Baldoni Augusto | Via A.Cicognani,11/c – 47121 FORLI’ | 0543-781780 | ||
| Bravi Alberto | Corso G.Garibaldi,.331 – 47122 FORLI’ | 0543-21099 | ||
| Dueruote | Via Ravegnana,29 – 47122 FORLI’ | 0543-25239/26216 | ||
| Servadei Furio Cicli | Piazza del Duomo,7 – 47122 FORLI’ | 0543-26996 |
Pilgrim Service
| VISIT – EMILIA-ROMAGNA |  |
www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it/it/vie-di-pellegrinaggio/via-romea-germanica | ||
| CAI Forlì | V.le dell’Appennino 375 – 47121 – FORLI’ | 338 7601333 | info@caiforli.it | www.caiforli.it |
| IAT Forlì | P.tta della Misura, 5 – 47122 FORLI’ | 0543-712435 | iat@comune.forli.fc.it | www.turismoforlivese.it |
| Morelli Marta – Guida Turistica | 47122 FORLI’ | 347-5573996 | morelli-marta@libero.it | |
| Lord Byron Tour Operator | Piazza Almerici,4 – 47521 CESENA FC | 392-7189559 | giampaolobenelli@gmail.com; giada@byrontours.it | www.byrontours.it |
