Ravenna

Have you ever heard of a city called Ravenna? Maybe it’s not as famous as Rome or Milan, but it’s a beautiful one, especially for its well-preserved late Roman and Byzantine architecture. Ravenna is situated in the region Emilia-Romagna, at just 10 minutes by car from the seashore and the beaches of Marina di Ravenna, Marina Romea and Punta Marina. In one day you can visit all the most beautiful monuments and the 8 UNESCO sites of the city. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until the empire collapsed in 476. It then served as the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom until it was re-conquered in 540 by the Byzantine Empire. Afterwards, the city formed the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the invasion of the Lombards in 751.

Personally, I love this city and I am lucky to be able to go there quite often cause my dad inherited an old house that dates back to the 60ies. But going to the important part, are you ready to discover more about Ravenna?

We start our visit parking near the city centre in Piazzale Antico Lazzareto, at just 10 minutes by walking from the Porta Adriana. Then we reach the ticket office in Via Argentario 22 and we buy the cumulative ticket for about 12 euro each. It includes:

1. Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, full of byzantine mosaics

2. Basilica di San Vitale, one of the best examples of paleo-Christian art in Italy

3. Battistero Neoniano

4. Museo Arcivescovile

5. Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, where there is the widest and most important cycle of religious mosaics in the world

After visiting these stunning monuments and its incredibly beautiful mosaics, we have a quick lunch at a local Piadineria called “Profumo di Piadina”. The variety of choice is just so huge and tempting that you end up desiring to have a stomach wide enough to try all the possible combination of piadina. After a break on a bench reading the guide of the city, we keep going and we visit for free other places of interest:

6. Duomo di Ravenna

7. Tomba di Dante, where the great Florentine author “Il Sommo Poeta” was buried

8. Basilica di San Francesco

9. Piazza del Popolo e centro storico

In the afternoon we decide to have a walk in a park near our house, the Parco di Teodorico, where for 4 euro we visit the famous:

10. Mausoleo di Teodorico

For dinner we eat at the magnificent restaurant Al Gallo 1909, a liberty style little jewel of the city. Inside, the atmosphere is magical: art deco raffinate objects fill in the space, and you can eat some delicious fish or meat traditional dishes for a good price. The enchanting music on the background and the colourful garden inside the restaurant contribute to create the perfect ambience.

To conclude this wonderful day we decide to give a look at the innovative Darsenale district, where the sea reaches the city, and we sit down at the tables of Darsena Pop Up, thinking of all the beauty we have just seen.