Maratona di Ravenna Città d’Arte

Location: Ravenna

Country:  Italy
Website:  https://maratonadiravenna.com/wp/
2025 Marathon Date:  09/11/2025
2026 Marathon Date:  08/11/2026
Winning Time 2025: 2:10:47

% Sub-3s:  5-10%
# Sub-3s:  100-499
Total Runners: 1-3k

The Maratona di Ravenna Città d’Arte offers a rare fusion of athletic performance and cultural immersion, guiding runners through a city renowned for its Byzantine mosaics, imperial history and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Held in Ravenna, in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, the event is celebrated for its flat, fast, single-loop course — a profile ideal for personal bests — and for its rich artistic identity, symbolised by the distinctive hand-crafted mosaic finisher’s medals awarded each year.

The race begins at Pala de André on Viale Europa, setting runners off along the Canal Candiano before turning toward the historic centre. This opening stretch blends waterway views with open urban avenues as participants progress toward Ravenna’s UNESCO-listed heart. Once inside the historic core, the course becomes a running journey through some of the most significant monuments of late Roman and early Byzantine civilisation. Designed specifically to incorporate all eight UNESCO World Heritage monuments, the route passes the Basilica di San Vitale, the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, the Arian Baptistery and the Mausoleum of Theodoric, among others. These landmarks form an architectural tapestry that connects runners to centuries of cultural and religious history.

Beyond the monuments, the course includes natural interludes such as Teodorico Park and sections near Parco della Rocca Brancaleone, offering shaded pathways and greener contrasts to the urban segments. The terrain throughout is remarkably smooth, with minimal cobblestone sections and a consistently flat elevation profile that supports steady pacing. After looping through both the city’s periphery and its artistic centre, runners head toward the finish on Via di Roma, in front of the MAR art museum and the Basilica di Santa Maria in Porto. This location provides a grand, culturally resonant conclusion aligned with the event’s “City of Art” character.

Since 2011, finishers have been awarded a unique handmade mosaic medal crafted by local artist Annafietta, each edition reflecting a different detail from Ravenna’s world-famous mosaics. The race also supports charitable organisations, reinforcing its commitment beyond sport. By combining speed, heritage and artistic identity, the Maratona di Ravenna Città d’Arte offers a marathon experience unlike any other in Italy, inviting runners to move through living history with every stride.