Rent a Car in Ravenna

Ravenna's historic centre, with its eight UNESCO-listed mosaic monuments — the Basilica of San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Dante's tomb among them — is compact and best explored on foot; most sites are within a 15-minute walk of each other. There's little reason to drive within this core, and several streets are restricted anyway. A car earns its place once you look beyond the mosaics: the beaches of Marina di Ravenna and Punta Marina are a short drive east, and Bologna, Ferrara and the Po Delta nature reserve are all within reach for day trips.

Ravenna also makes a practical base for exploring the wider Romagna region. Cervia and Cesenatico sit along the coast to the south-east, and San Marino, the tiny hilltop republic, is a little under an hour and a half away — a popular full-day detour combining fortress views with Romagna's countryside. For anyone splitting a trip between mosaics and beach, a hire car removes the need for separate transport for each.