Why this ride
251 km from Ravenna to Ravenna, about 4 h 54 of riding. The stops in between: Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro, Gessi Bolognesi and back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of St. Vitale and Gessi Bolognesi
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 251 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 54
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of St. Vitale
San Vitale does not look like much from the outside. It is a squat octagon of plain brick, built in the sixth century, and the first reaction of many visitors is mild surprise. Then you step through the door and the interior opens up in layers of marble, arches and light, and the apse is covered in mosaic so bright it seems to glow. It was begun under the Ostrogothic king Theodoric's rule, around 526, and finished and consecrated under Byzantine rule in 547, in the years after Justinian's generals had reconquered Italy.
Read the complete Church of St. Vitale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of St. Vitale is where the day begins. Next is Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro, 52 km on.
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. 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 128 km into the recorded legs you reach Gessi Bolognesi. Next is back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro, 52 km on.
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 Church of St. Vitale, 52 km on.
5. Church of St. Vitale
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of St. Vitale write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Church of St. Vitale. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Church of St. Vitale to Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro
Church of St. Vitale → Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro to Gessi Bolognesi
Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro → Gessi Bolognesi is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gessi Bolognesi to back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro
Gessi Bolognesi → back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro is 58 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro to Church of St. Vitale
back through Vena del Gesso Romagnola - M.te Mauro → Church of St. Vitale is 65 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.