Just one simple, perfect natural day full of fun and food and wine and glorious experiences
After a lovely relaxed sleep in our warm and friendly, historic Italian country house Aloggio San Girolamo, we’ll start the day by enjoying the perfect breakfast outside in the sun. What’s on offer? Well naturally there are delicious local seasonal fruits and juices and home-made breads and cakes and home-made yoghurt – all organic. There are also local cheeses and hams. And naturally great coffee (it is Italy!) and teas. And sublime views!
Now for a lovely walk to work off a little of that fabulous food. Where?
Cesenatico is one of the biggest fishing ports in the Adriatic, but more importantly it is both very historic and unbelievably, beautifully, Venetian. After Cesare Borgia captured the town he set his employee Leonardo da Vinci to tart it up. So it could be said that our walk to the sea and back through the amazingly photogenic port-canal is like walking in a Da Vinci masterpiece! And we can taste another local masterpiece – a superb gelato by the seaside.
The walk, the stunning surroundings, the little traghetto boat trip across the canal and the fabulous sea air has made us a little hungry, so we’re off to lunch.
Cesenatico is one of the biggest fishing ports in the Adriatic, but more importantly it is both very historic and unbelievably, beautifully, Venetian. After Cesare Borgia captured the town he set his employee Leonardo da Vinci to tart it up. So it could be said that our walk to the sea and back through the amazingly photogenic port-canal is like walking in a Da Vinci masterpiece! And we can taste another local masterpiece – a superb gelato by the seaside.
The walk, the stunning surroundings, the little traghetto boat trip across the canal and the fabulous sea air has made us a little hungry, so we’re off to lunch.
Where better than lunch in the country? It’s a short trip to the unbelievably wonderful La Casina agriturismo where Valentina Valentini holds court. Her family farm all the land around and everything comes from their superb production.
What’s for lunch? First we have a selection of starters – cheeses (including the miraculous squaquerone) prosciuttos (cured on the estate) and magical piadina (warm local flatbreads made here). Secondly, we taste two of the Valentini special pastas (made freshly this morning) they include aromatic pasta pockets filled with cheese and covered with fresh sage with crispy prosciutto; then sensational tagliatelli with delicious specialty Valentini ragu sauce.
And the main course? Meats, sausages, patties all made of Valentini meat grilled on their open fire with delicious crispy potatoes roasted with rosemary plus succulent grilled vegetables – sweet tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini and anything else that’s in season.
Naturally it’s all been washed down by delicious Valentini wines.
Of course there is a great plate of little desserts and coffee and local licquers including Banane, Limoncello, Liquorizia – yes all made here too.
What’s for lunch? First we have a selection of starters – cheeses (including the miraculous squaquerone) prosciuttos (cured on the estate) and magical piadina (warm local flatbreads made here). Secondly, we taste two of the Valentini special pastas (made freshly this morning) they include aromatic pasta pockets filled with cheese and covered with fresh sage with crispy prosciutto; then sensational tagliatelli with delicious specialty Valentini ragu sauce.
And the main course? Meats, sausages, patties all made of Valentini meat grilled on their open fire with delicious crispy potatoes roasted with rosemary plus succulent grilled vegetables – sweet tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini and anything else that’s in season.
Naturally it’s all been washed down by delicious Valentini wines.
Of course there is a great plate of little desserts and coffee and local licquers including Banane, Limoncello, Liquorizia – yes all made here too.
Now for the centerpiece of the day – Ravenna (luckily it takes an hour or so to get here – time for a little doze in the sun?)
We meet in the atmospheric 1500-year-old San Francesco basilica. Changed and altered through the ages it loses no power as the center of the Franciscan monastry complex. Here we’ll get our introduction into the power and the beauty of this amazing imperial city.
This world heritage city, three times Imperial capital (of the Western Roman Empire, of Theodoric King of the Goths, and of the Byzantine Empire) is full of marvelous ancient mosaics and stunning 1500 year old basilicas.
With our guide, Cinzia, we take a gentle stroll back in time to gasp at the jewel-box interior of the mosaic-filled mausoleum that Empress Galla Placidia created for herself in 425ad. Here the glistening mosaics were an inspiration to Gianni Versacce, Sigmund Freud and Lord Byron amongst many others. We are astonished by the basilica of San Vitale, built to rival the Santa Sofia in Constantinople by the great Justinian – we see the mosaic portraits of his glorious, glamorous wife the dancer Teodora.
This edifice, after all is the greatest example of byzantine art in Europe. And we’re amazed by the basilica and mosaics of Sant Apolinare Nuovo. And the stories of Empress Galla Placidia, emperors Theodoric, Justinian, Augustus and Julius Caesar plus Lord Byron, JRR Tolkien, Gustav Klimpt, Carl Jung, Oscar Wilde – a few of the characters who inhabited this city outside of time – the Venice before Venice existed.
We meet in the atmospheric 1500-year-old San Francesco basilica. Changed and altered through the ages it loses no power as the center of the Franciscan monastry complex. Here we’ll get our introduction into the power and the beauty of this amazing imperial city.
This world heritage city, three times Imperial capital (of the Western Roman Empire, of Theodoric King of the Goths, and of the Byzantine Empire) is full of marvelous ancient mosaics and stunning 1500 year old basilicas.
With our guide, Cinzia, we take a gentle stroll back in time to gasp at the jewel-box interior of the mosaic-filled mausoleum that Empress Galla Placidia created for herself in 425ad. Here the glistening mosaics were an inspiration to Gianni Versacce, Sigmund Freud and Lord Byron amongst many others. We are astonished by the basilica of San Vitale, built to rival the Santa Sofia in Constantinople by the great Justinian – we see the mosaic portraits of his glorious, glamorous wife the dancer Teodora.
This edifice, after all is the greatest example of byzantine art in Europe. And we’re amazed by the basilica and mosaics of Sant Apolinare Nuovo. And the stories of Empress Galla Placidia, emperors Theodoric, Justinian, Augustus and Julius Caesar plus Lord Byron, JRR Tolkien, Gustav Klimpt, Carl Jung, Oscar Wilde – a few of the characters who inhabited this city outside of time – the Venice before Venice existed.
Wow. Time for another gelato and a lovely drive back to Longiano – a superb sunset and maybe a dinner at the Dei Cantoni restaurant. Then back to bed and a glorious sleep with the Jasmine and Lime and roses scents of the clean countryside to please us.
What are we doing tomorrow?
What are we doing tomorrow?
Travel agents checking it out! Couldn’t be as good as this? – See onsite video interviews with travel agents Mary Moretti, Diane Catenaci, Jo Anne Tuck and Stefan Ursu HERE
And report by global food and wine writer Janice Nieder HERE
And report by global food and wine writer Janice Nieder HERE
For more information contact us now welcome@BestofRomagna.com
Familiarisation/inspection trips are available for travel agents and group organisers further information HERE
www.BestofRomagna.com
https://www.facebook.com/Bestofromagna
Familiarisation/inspection trips are available for travel agents and group organisers further information HERE
www.BestofRomagna.com
https://www.facebook.com/Bestofromagna
