From Florence to Ravenna along the places of Dante’s exile

The route starts in the plain area between Florence, Prato and Pistoia “Piana Fiorentina” and passes through Pontassieve, then climbs towards Vallombrosa Abbey, whose cloister contains a medal depicting Dante and Beatrice. Downhill there is the small village of Prato di Strada. From there an ascent leads  up to Poppi, a must-see during a route through Dante’s places. In poppi stands the Castle of the Guidi Counts where Dante was hosted. Near the Castle the famous Battle of Campaldino took place in which Dante fought on the Guelph side. Dante’s participation in the war is remembered today by the “Column of Dante” which will be seen along the route.

Distance 70 km

The tour heads to Pratovecchio from where it is possible to reach Porciano, a town in which Dante was a guest of the Guidi family. During this stay he wrote three of his famous Latin epistles.The tour continues towards Romena Castle where Dante stayed during the first years of his exile. Entering more and more the “selva oscura” [Dante’s dark forest], the tour comes close to the Sacro Eremo of Camaldoli, an ancient monastery still inhabited by monks.

Distance 54 km.

The tour continues discovering the territory of Foreste Casentinesi National Park where an alternation of ascents and descents crosses Passo del Muraglione and then goes downhill to San Benedetto in Alpe, known for its ancient abbey. The overnight stay will be in the middle of the peaceful “selva oscura”.

Distance: 30 km

As a “break” from cycling, it is possible to have a beautiful and refreshing walk (9km round trip) to the Acquacheta waterfalls, whose natural scenery was described by Dante in the Divine Comedy. Hop on bikes again and head down an exciting descent to Portico di Romagna, a village known its characteristic humpback bridge. Distance: 35km+9km on foot to the Acquacheta waterfalls.

The tour continues up towards Tredozio where there is the “smallest volcano in the world”. Actually, it is not a real volcano, but a constantly working methane fountain. The tour continues along the ridge and reaches the quiet hermitage of Monte Paolo, so dear to St Anthony of Padua, who stayed there twice. After having enjoyed this atmosphere, the ride continues with a pleasant descent through the gullies of Spungone, a calcareous sandstone with the appearance of a sponge, made up of a coarse mixture of sea shells held together by limestone cement. The tour finally arrives at Castrocaro with its fortress and spa.

Distance: 40 km.

Last stage at Terra del Sole, a jewel of Renaissance town planning commissioned by Cosimo de’ Medici in 1564 as an example of perfect urban planning, Terra del Sole was also a fortress defending the northern borders. From here it is a short ride to Forlì, where this year there is the official exhibition on Dante as he lived there twice during his exile. A final stretch on the plains leads to Ravenna, the city where the poet rests for seven centuries.

Distance: 53 km.

End of the tour and of this unforgettable adventure.

See you next time!

You can return to Florence by train or with us booking the return trip as an extra service.