NewsBeat
Ryanair revives flight to little-known Italian city for first time in 18 years
Italy conjures visions of Roman holidays à la Audrey Hepburn, and romantic adventures in the cobbled streets of Florence, Milan, and Naples.
It’s safe to say that the world loves channelling La Dolce Vita. In 2025, it welcomed some 104 million international visitors, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior.
But with several Italian cities taking action against overtourism, including Florence’s ban on Airbnb-style self-check-in keyboxes and Seceda’s €5 turnstile charges, a growing number of travellers are veering off the beaten track.
It will be welcome news, then, that a little-known city in the Emilia-Romagna region has had a direct UK flight reinstated for the first time in 18 years.
Between June and October, Ryanair is reviving its route from London Stansted to Forlì, a quiet city of ancient churches and elegant piazzas that dates back 2,200 years.
The route originally operated between 2001 and 2008, but was pulled when the airline started serving Bologna.
Flights will run twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, providing plenty of time to fit in an Aperol Spritz or two.
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And it won’t break the bank. Flights departing on June 6 and returning on June 13, for example, are currently £46 return.
The route’s revival is set to make travel easier for locals. As it stands, the only year-round option from London is to Bologna, which is 36 minutes away on the IC train, not including a ride on the Marconi Express from Bologna Centrale station. It’s pricey, too, at €12.80 (£11.05) for a seven-minute trip.
In the summer, flights also run from London to Rimini, which is around 50 minutes away by car from Forlì.
Ryanair has confirmed that the comeback has been made possible by the removal of the municipal tax at several Italian airports, including Forlì, which sees a fee (ranging from €6.50/£5.61 to €9/£7.77) wrapped into the cost of the plane ticket.
Alongside Forlì, eight other airports, including Parma, have also scrapped the tax. Ryanair says the changes bring its Italian slate to 20 routes.
It means the airline will serve an extra 660,000 passengers each year and increase traffic by more than 50%.
Top things to do in Forlì and Emilia-Romagna
Looking for a reason to visit? Food should be top of your list.
The Emilia-Romagna region is famous for simple dishes made with local ingredients, thanks to its location close to both mountains and sea.
Some of the most popular things to eat here include mortadella (a type of ham that’s been mimicked as ‘baloney’ elsewhere in the world), Parmesan, and piadina, a type of flatbread best enjoyed with something like squacquerone, a form of soft cheese that’s not hard enough to have a rind, but not mushy enough to be considered cottage cheese.
Wine lovers should indulge in a glass of Sangiovese, a red that’s so embedded in the culture of the region that, in Romagnol (the regional dialect), it’s simply called ‘e be,’ which translates to ‘the drink.’
You’ll find a delectable tagliatelle al ragù (that’s right, it’s not called spaghetti bolognese) at Trattoria ‘petito, or a more rustic meal at La Piadineria.
Culture-wise, the Museo Civico San Domenico is also worth a look, as this year, it’s running an exhibition on Baroque art.
For history, the Rocca di Ravaldino, a Medieval fortress dating back to the fourteenth century, which, alongside being an important historical site, hosts a cultural festival in the summer. Expect music and cinema.
In nearby Cesena, those with a sweet tooth will be delighted by Babbi Café.
Founded in 1952, it’s a local legend renowned for chocolate spreads, wafers, and ice cream (which is served up all year round, not just during the summer).
Once you’ve filled your belly, Cesena has a rich history to absorb. It was referenced as early as Dante in 1321, who described the city centre as being ‘between the plain and the hills.’
It’s also home to the oldest public library in the world: the Malatestian Library, which holds such a fundamental place in Cesena’s constitution that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005.
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