“Epic” Roads of Dante Long Distance Path Receives Lonely Planet Best in Travel Award

STORY BY Patrick 15th December 2020

The Roads of Dante, an epic 245-mile path links all the places between the regions of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna that Dante visited during his exile in the early 14th century, has been recognised in the latest edition of Lonely Planet’s annual Best in Travel guide as a “sustainability winner.”

The recognition comes as the region gears up to celebrate the 700th anniversary of ‘the Supreme Poet’s death.

The ancient path, which stretches from Dante’s tomb in Ravenna to his birthplace in Florence, is praised as a “slow travel delight,” by the famous guidebook series.

Launched in 2017, Roads of Dante is described as “a meditative meander in the footsteps of Italy’s divine poet” that takes in many of the places that the Poet described in his iconic Divine Comedy.

Emilia Romagna, renowned around the world as the home of iconic Italian food produce and for its rich gastronomic tradition, is also a region of huge historical and cultural importance.

The UNESCO World Heritage city of Ravenna is hosting a variety of events in 2021 to commemorate the life of one the world’s most famous poets, including concerts, readings and exhibitions.

Even Italy’s national day on the 25 March will be dedicated to Dante in 2021, with a Dante festival set to take place in Ravenna to celebrate his work.

(Dante’s Tomb)

Ravenna, also known as Italy’s city of mosaics due to its exquisite collection of Byzantine montages, is a treasure chest of art, history and culture – with eight UNESCO historic buildings.

Dante found Ravenna to be the ideal place to complete the Divine Comedy and, as the home of his tombstone, the city has been preserving the poet’s memory for seven centuries after his death in 1321. Dante’s 700th anniversary programme will mainly take place in Ravenna, located just one hour away from Emilia Romagna’s capital city of Bologna.

How to get there:

Emilia Romagna Region is in the North of Italy, just over the Appenine Mountains from Tuscany, with a number of airlines connecting Bologna and Rimini to the UK and the rest of the world, including British Airways to London Heathrow, Easyjet to London Gatwick, Ryanair to London Stansted and Luton, Edinburgh, Bristol and Manchester.

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