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Published: April 19th 2018
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The job, as referred to in the title, was a mission to get around mostly unfamiliar terrain in Italy in typical no-stone-left-unturned style. A flight into
Bologna set the scene, and a quick zip to Bologna central station provided the first leg of the journey - an hour-long train ride to
Ravenna, and the chance to experience a snapshot of what Ravenna has to offer. Not exactly firmly on the tourist radar, Ravenna is a compact enough Italian city famous for two factors - its stunning mosaics, and association with Dante Alighieri, the famed Italian writer. A breeze through the streets of Ravenna will reveal evidence of the artistic mosaic designs which decorate the interiors of a couple of prominent buildings, mausoleums and Basilicas alike. The tomb of Dante is a memorial to the man whose work 'The Divine Comedy' no doubt acted as a springboard for all those who were inspired by the sprawling, epic nature of the work, and the blueprint for various works of note which derive inspiration from Dante's original masterpiece. Moving on from the charms of Ravenna, the next port of call was
Rimini, and a hotel situated in Rimini Miramare area, a stretch of the
Rimini Riviera coast which hints at how expansive Rimini's beach culture really is. Rimini itself, despite being the playground for Italy's clubbers, sunseekers and (traditionally) domestic holidaymakers, does have a few areas of note which prise it away from the tag of seaside hedonism which you'd roundly associate with the place. The marina leads right from the beach to the town's most famous bridge, the Tiberius bridge, itself more pretty than sizeable, and one of the city's iconic landmarks. The central '3 martyrs square' is as photogenic as it gets for Rimini, and the variety of shops, eateries, and overall features leading off this square hint at why motorhomes galore, mostly Italian, and others from further afield, flock to Rimini in order to enjoy the city's overall features. In order to gain a snapshot of what all Italian towns and cities look like, then you need not look further than the nearby theme park 'Italy in miniature', which has been crafted expertly on a mass of land resembling a map of Italy from an aerial view. Other than superb models of chief sights of all of Italy's towns and cities, the park is equipped with a monorail, aviery, 7D cinema,
and (best of them all) a terrific recreation of a Venetian gondola ride with highly realistic surroundings, and an exit through St Mark's square in miniature - trust me, this is not even a pale imitation, such is the realism! An easy and highly enjoyable day trip from Rimini is a 40 or so minute bus ride from Rimini central to the independent Republic of San Marino, a separate nation, which clocks in at the number 10 spot for the world's GDP per capita economic power (wow!) A tour of San Marino is rendered easy by the fact that all the main attractions and historical buildings are all in one specific area, namely the walled area of the city which also acts as the greatest vantage point, especially when entering any one of the three towers which complete the fortress-esque allure of the old town area. Souvenir shops abound to the extent to which anyone with an aversion to commercialism and capitalistic trappings will surely be repelled, but then again, as with any tourist spot worldwide, livelihoods do depend on an influx of hard currency and ability to function as a tourist magnet. The final port of call, slotted in
to tie in with an aiport run later in the day, was a 6-ish hour jaunt around the central Italian city of Bologna which stakes its claim, somewhat justifiably, as the gourmet capital of Italy, in itself a gourmet capital among other nations. The aim of the exercise was to circulate from one of Bologna's mighty fine record stores to another in search of the vital sounds of the Italian underground, and the fact that this bore fruit is testimony to how well equipped Bologna is as an Italian metropolis. All in all, the solid proof emerged from this trip that Italy can be enjoyed on repeat occasions to the same degree of fulfilment as long as you take on board all of the enticing aspects of Italy's culture which appeal. Their politics may never rank among the world's most stable, nor indeed are a couple of other statistics (crime rate, natural disasters) going to make this utopia, but Italy holds firm as a realm of history vs modernity to the tune of a sociable populous and a food culture which very many diners find too delightful to pass up.
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