Ravenna - Bologna

Ravenna - Bologna - Venice

A quick long weekend for Easter in Italy! There are so many areas in Italy that even a I-don't-know-how many'th time there, is exciting and new.

Got a good deal with Wizz Air and flew directly from Tallinn to Venice. When there, took a ferry from the airport to Venice island.

Happy tourists in sunny and warm Venice. April in Estonia does not allow you to ditch tights, jackets or scarfs yet.

We stayed in Lido Adriano, a lovely little beach town 13 km away from Ravenna. As it was still off season, it was quiet, especially in the evenings. Also, the bus stopped going there early. When we came off the train in Ravenna on that first evening and tried to figure out a way to get to Lido Adriano and everyone directed us to a bus stop, which clearly stated that the next bus goes 7 am next morning, we just thought taxi would be a safer bet. It was not too expensive either. Our host was also already having dinner with the fam, so we ended up on some wrong premises when he found us and directed us to our apartment.

There were not too many restaurants open either, luckily there was this one absolute gem, where a guy from a little cafe from the other end of the town, directed us. We were half-understanding each other thanks to language barriers, yet he called his friend who worked in this beautiful beach restaurant, and asked if they're open, as the place looked very much closed outside. The food was good, frizzante to die for and they even lent us they're playing cards.

For breakfasts we pulled a table outside to the "terrace" stairs and enjoyed the sunshine.

Ravenna itself is also a cool town! Beautiful basilicas, chapels, their mosaics, early Christian Byzantine art, UNESCO sites and old gorgeous streets.

And Italy in its goodness, we ordered a drink, they bring the food with it, just because!

And finally, Bologna.

Bologna has long been known as a center of culture and art. This ancient city has a lot of scenic spots, historic structures and is home to some of the oldest universities in the world, including the University of Bologna. The historic centre is compact and easy to walk around.

The two leaning towers of Asinelli and Garisenda. The taller one is taller than 100 m and leaning 1.3 m, shorter is 49 m tall but leaning more than 3 m. It is possible to climb 498 steps to reach the top of the taller tower and enjoy a view over the city.

Piazza Maggiore (Maggiore Central Square). As this day was especially hot, aperols on the square where a good start for the sunny Sunday.

Teatro Anatomico.

Built in 1637, this building was once used to teach anatomical subjects to students. The first known legal autopsy was performed there marking the the birth of modern medicine.