Pineta di Classe e Lido di Dante
South of Ravenna, a UNESCO-listed coastal pine forest stretches for kilometres between the city and the sea — the same forest that inspired Dante's Purgatorio and Boccaccio's Decameron, and still feels genuinely wild today.
The Forest: Cycling, Birding and Dante's Footsteps
The Pineta di Classe is one of Italy's oldest surviving coastal forests, planted by the Romans to supply timber for the fleet anchored at the ancient port of Classis. Today it's a nature reserve threaded with flat cycling and walking paths shaded by stone pines whose umbrella canopies create a cathedral-like green roof.
Rent a bike in Ravenna (several shops near the train station offer day hire for €10–15) and follow the dedicated cycle path that runs 14 km from the city edge through the forest to the beach at Lido di Dante. The route is completely flat and suitable for all fitness levels.
Birdwatchers should bring binoculars: the forest and the adjacent Valle della Canna wetlands host hoopoes, bee-eaters, kingfishers and, during migration, a remarkable variety of warblers. Spring (April–May) is peak season.
The Beach at Lido di Dante
Where the forest meets the sea at Lido di Dante, the beach is wide, sandy and far less developed than the resort strips further north at Marina di Ravenna. A handful of stabilimenti (beach clubs) rent sun loungers, but large stretches remain free public beach — unusual on the Adriatic Riviera.
The mouth of the Fiumi Uniti river cuts through the beach here, creating a small lagoon habitat that attracts wading birds and makes for an interesting foreground in coastal photographs. Sunsets facing northwest over the forest are spectacular in late summer.
The combined forest-to-beach cycle ride takes around 45 minutes one way. Return by the same path or catch a seasonal bus back to Ravenna from the Lido di Dante stop.
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