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Last night we were treated to a massive display of sheet lightning but hardly any thunder. Early morning it's raining heavily so, although we can hear the farmers and animals starting their day we pull up the covers for a while longer. We have some more plums and the last of Anna's grapes with our cereal then Ali visits the animals again then buys some eggs, mince and garlic from the farm shop before we leave at midday.
The rain has stopped as we drive on narrow roads raised on dykes between the fruit farms that stretch for miles across the flat landscape.
We reach Ravenna, find the camper parking and set off for the town centre which is supposed to be 500m away. As we leave the sosta we should have crossed railway tracks over a bridge but the traffic is too fast and dangerous for the chair and there are no dropped kerbs so we take the parallel road signed 'Centro'. We have a centre map but not our current position and after nearly a mile we ask for help, first from 2 firemen who have no idea [encouraging], then from a woman who shrugs, looks at us as if we've stolen her haemorrhoid ointment and walks off. A few minutes later we enter a park that backs onto a church that is the start of the suggested old town route, and there in front is the old crone herself. There is also, finally, a tourist map which Ali lines up to photograph, when a Canadian passing by hands us one and says 'It's yours'. Now we're sorted, but in most of the famous places here we've noticed a distinct lack of help for tourists. Ravenna was largely ignored by the Romans as they conquered the Po, until Ceaser gathered his army here before crossing the Rubicon. Later the Pope authorised Charlemagne to take anything he wanted; columns, statues, mosaics as you would.
The old streets are mildly quaint but the major historic landmarks, churches and cathedral are built of terracotta brick which unfortunately makes them look modern. We find a little bar for a bowl of pasta each and read a little of Ravenna's history. It is famous for its mosaics, most of which are in the brick monuments and as today is a festival day access to these is limited by services. The piazzas/piazzi do have some character with statues or obelisks. One piazza is called September 20th [hence festivals] and in another, Piazza del Popolo there is a large fete with food and dancing. We also pass the Tomb of Dante, in a cool colonnaded courtyard, part of which is protected by a real chain-link fence that is a work of the blacksmith's art with forged plaques suspended in forged iron links and rings. We muse through one of the many bric-a-brac markets before returning to the van via the ruined fortress Rocca Brancaleone.
We decide this sosta doesn't look a nice place for the night so text Nick & Grete who sugget the marina 7 miles out. We arrive in near darkness and find the mixed parking, lit up like daylight, with 6 or 7 other vans already settled in for the night. It's a lively place; street markets are just closing, there appears to be a variety of restaurants and the whole harbourside is buzzing. We look along the strip but many are fast food or pizza/pasta places. One offers some seafood but we don't understand all of the menu, so as we can't agree what to have we go back to the van and scoff some nibbles. The last of the diners and drinkers wander through the car park around 23:00 and all goes quiet.
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