Hotel Universal

Mirabilandia Theme Park

On the outskirts of Ravenna on the Adriatic Sea, this theme park is full of adventures and rides for the whole family. The park features one of Europe's wildest roller coasters, with a 360-degree loop along the way. As well as a host of wild things to try, there are plenty of beautiful parks, dining, shopping and, not least, a large water park area for the whole family to enjoy. Some of the wildest rides have a minimum height requirement of 140cm.

Italia in Miniatura

Italia in Miniatura is located on the outskirts of Rimini and is an 85,000 m² family-owned theme park. The park opened in 1970 and started out over half the size it is today. Today the park contains more than 300 small models of various monuments, churches and palaces at a scale of 1:25. All these miniatures are surrounded by hilly landscapes, rivers and oceans, train tracks and more than 6,000 real miniature trees. Discover the Leaning Tower of Pisa and a faithful replica of Venice, complete with bridges, canals and gondolas - an ideal excursion, full of impressions, on a family holiday at Rimini!

Ravenna

Ravenna has been the capital of no less than four Empires: the Western Roman Empire, under King Theodoric, then the Goths and later the Byzantine Empire of Europe. When the Byzantines were expelled from Italy, Ravenna became part of the Papal States and, thanks to its incredible history, is therefore also a treasure trove of architecture and art. The beautiful squares and magnificent churches and chapels leave nothing to the imagination. But above all, Ravenna is known for its very fine Byzantine mosaics. Also visit the final resting place of the famous Florentine poet Dante Alighieri and find out why he spent his last years in Ravenna.

Ravenna also offers great shopping, take a stroll up ´via Cavour´, ´via Diaz´, ´via Corado Ricci´ or visit ´piazza del Popolo´. Everything from shoes to mosaics, art and more shoes are on sale. The landscape is of course characterised by pizzarias, ice cream and cake shops and the streets are very lively. So enjoy some lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants or sidewalk cafes and follow the bustle of the day as it unfolds in the centre of Ravenna.

Dante's tomb

Dante Alighieri was born in May, 1265 in Florence and died September 1321, thus being only 56 years old. Dante was one of the great Italian writers of the Middle Ages and his most famous work is probably the 'Commedia', later called the 'Divina Commedia', the Divine Comedy. Sentenced to death in Florence for feuding and politics mixed with pride, he was unable to return to his beloved hometown. Dante is therefore buried today in Ravenna, and although Florence has tried for hundreds of years to recover his remains, it has never succeeded. For centuries, Florence has tried to recover the remains of its famous son, but it has never succeeded and so there is only an empty tomb, a cenotaph, in the church of Santa Croce in Florence.

Visit the neoclassical monument and see Dante's urn and final resting place. Take the walk down the street that leads visitors to his tomb, feel the peace and enjoy the beautiful historic buildings that stand on either side of the road towards the tomb, which is a small white building at the end of the street.

Galla Placidia's mausoleum

The beautiful mausoleum was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1996 because of its beautiful mosaics and their highly artistic design. The story goes that Galla Placidia, a fifth century AD Roman patron of the arts and half-sister of the Emperor, intended the building as a mausoleum for herself and her family. The mausoleum contains three sarcophagi, but there is still not clear evidence that they were also the Placidia family. Galla Placidia was buried in the family chapel in St Peter's, so who was buried in the three sarcophagi? Get the fascinating story served up in the mausoleum under the stunning starry sky of the mausoleum's dome. The decoration in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is simply sumptuous and there are depictions of the Apostles and the saint Lazarus while Jesus appears as the Good Shepherd. After the visit, it is much easier to understand why the Mausoleum of Galla Placida is on UNESCO's list.

Museo Arcivescovile

This unique museum, Arcivescovile, or Archbishop in English, is located in Ravenna and was built in the first half of the 17th century. Located just behind the Duomo di Ravenna, the museum's relics date back to the early Christian period, mosaics from the first cathedral built on the site, and the Sant'Andrea chapel, which dates back to the time of the Goths.