King Charles and Queen Camilla visit the beautiful Italian city of Ravenna to celebrate 80 years since their liberation from the Nazi occupation. Ravenna is about 75 miles south Venice Hundreds of tourists flock to watery cities, which can be overlooked.
When they are in Ravenna, Charles and Camilla The tomb of Italian writer Dante will see the king having plans to solo visits to the Basilica of San Vitale and the spirits of Gala Plasidia. Meanwhile, Camila is expected to travel to the Byron Museum. The Byron Museum is dedicated to the ornate poet who lived in Ravenna, who married an Italian nobleman.
The King and Queen will certainly cheer royal fans when they visit the city. When we went in March, there was a surprising lack of tourist crowds. The site and streets were busy, but most were bustling with Italians.
Ravenna's biggest draw is a mosaic, dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries, it's truly breathtaking. Without a doubt, the most famous mosaic is located in the Cathedral of San Vitale.
The mosaic, composed of thousands of small tiles, is a east feast of colour depicting the Byzantine emperor, Justinians, and his spouse, Theodora.
Stone abandonment is the spirit of Gala Prasidious US. There, light filters are ringed through an alabaster window to illuminate the seductive mosaic of a night sky filled with stars beneath the vault.
History lovers will want to see inside the National Museum of Ravenna, next to San Vitale. This includes an impressive array of Roman artefacts dating back to the first and third centuries.
If the two stunning mosaics aren't enough yet, Ravenna boasts even more in the Cathedrals of San Apolina Renuovo, Neonian Baptistetti and Arian Baptistetti. There is also the entire floor of the Ravenna Museum dedicated to the mosaic, and to Eagle's eyes there is a mosaic on street signs designed to look like video game characters by French street artist Invader.
At Della Residenza Square stands the beautiful monumental fountain Ardea Purpurea by artist Marco Bravura. It's often overlooked and worth a look.
Absolutely not overlooked is characterized by an emerald green garden and an iconic mosaic showing Saint Apollinaire of Hello, with his hands raised in prayer. The Classe itself is about 5 miles from Ravenna, but can be easily reached by public transport, taxi or bike. The museum behind the church also provides great insight into the history of the region, which serves as the Byzantine Italian capital. Across the museum is Bar Al Muse Café, where coffee can be enjoyed among the locals.
Apart from Classe's Sant'apollinare, all of the main sites of Ravenna are within walking distance of each other. This city takes a break from the city, especially weekends outside of the high season.
I stayed at Kasaggugugi, a bed and breakfast in the heart of Ravenna, hosted by our friendly staff. It's also a few seconds away from I Furfanti, a popular restaurant with a very decent selection of wine, pizza and pasta dishes.
There are plenty of eateries worth checking out Ravenna, including Mercato Coperto, an indoor market where you can buy fresh pasta, cakes and pastries.
At the time of writing, there were no direct flights to Ravenna. I flew from London Luton to Bologna with Ryanair and then flew by taxi to get a 20 minute ride from the airport to the central station in Bologna. From there, I took the train to Ravenna. The trip took about 90 minutes. One-way ticket costs 8 euros. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the city centre from Ravenna Station.
