Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe and Gessi Bolognesi

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe

   For centuries the sea reached this field. Classe was the port of Ravenna, a harbour built by Augustus to station the Roman Adriatic fleet, and merchants, sailors and soldiers filled its quays until the river silt choked the channels and the coast crept east. Today the port is farmland, the sea is five kilometres off, and the great church of Sant'Apollinare stands alone among the fields, a tall brick basilica with a round bell tower, rising from the plain like a ship stranded on a sandbank. It was consecrated in 549, in the time of Justinian, and stands over the tomb of the first bishop of Ravenna, Apollinaris, who is said to have been a disciple of Saint Peter. UNESCO listed the early Christian monuments of Ravenna in 1996.

   Read the complete Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe is where the day begins. Next is Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro, 53 km on.

2. 2. Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro

   Driving through the hills of Romagna, south of Faenza, you notice a long, pale ridge cutting across the valleys like a wall. This is the Vena del Gesso Romagnola, a band of gypsum rock about twenty-five kilometres long, and Monte Mauro is its highest point, rising above the villages of Riolo Terme, Brisighella and Fognano. The ridge is now a regional park and part of the UNESCO site for the evaporitic karst of the northern Apennines.

   Read the complete Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro comes up about 66 km into the recorded legs. Next is Gessi Bolognesi.

3. 3. Gessi Bolognesi

   Ride south out of Bologna and within ten minutes the city's suburbs give way to something surprising: a range of low hills made of gypsum, a soft, crystalline rock that dissolves in water and forms caves, sinkholes and strange, shiny outcrops. These are the Gessi Bolognesi, a protected regional park between the Savena and Idice valleys, and in 2023 they became part of the UNESCO site for the evaporitic karst and caves of the northern Apennines.

   Read the complete Gessi Bolognesi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 129 km into the recorded legs you reach Gessi Bolognesi. Next is back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro, 53 km on.

4. 4. back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro, late in the day. Next is Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe, 52 km on.

5. 5. Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe. That is the ride.