Hello Italy.....well it is definitely colder here with a crisp wind blowing across the port.

Most people visit the central Italian city of Ravenna for its superb Byzantine mosaics - and rightly so, for they are the finest outside Istanbul. A 30 minute drive inland took us to the city of Ravenna with a population of approximately 140,000. It looks much like any other Italian city at first glance, with old streets, fine shops and peaceful squares, but the Byzantine domes of its churches still evoke its Eastern heritage. Ravenna's early Christian churches and mosaics have been collectively designated a World Heritage Site. It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words so I am going to let my photos tell you about the magnificent marble, mosaics and frescoes of Ravenna.

For those who want to know a bit more of the history.......

The heart of Ravenna, and the best place to get your bearings, is Piazza del Popolo (People's Square) This charming piazza is lined with attractive historic buildings including the Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall), originally built in the 15th century. As they did elsewhere, the Venetians erected two columns in the square during their rule; instead of Venetian emblems these are topped with statues of Ravenna's patron saints San Vitale (St. Vitalis) and Sant'Apollinare (St. Apollonaris).


Basilica di San Vitale - this church is the glory of Ravenna. Built between 526 and 547 the building has a simple brick exterior but the massive octagonal interior is rich with marbles and mosaics. Byzantine mosaics illustrate scenes from the Old Testament and also lovely representations of the Emperor Justinian, the Empress Theodora and their elegant retinues. It is built on the site of the martyrdom of St Vitalis


Mausoleo di Galla Placidia (Mausoleum of Galla Placidia) - alongside San Vitale and visited at the same time, the mausoleum is a surprisingly tiny cruciform building where they only allow 5 minutes per group to enter. Galla Placidia was an important woman: born in around 390 AD, she was the daughter, sister, wife and mother of Roman emperors and had a full and colourful life. This building is said to have been built as her tomb; however she died in Rome and her body may never have been brought here. The ceiling is a blue field of little gold stars, with a cross in the centre and symbols of the Evangelists at each corner. Pictorial mosaics on the walls include a lovely one of the Good Shepherd.


Baptistery of Neon - this baptistery was built at the beginning of the 5th century and was renovated by a bishop called Neon fifty years later (hence the name). The building is octagonal and its interior is highly decorated with marbles, carvings and mosaics. The mosaic in the domed ceiling portrays the story of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist.
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Dante Alighieri's Tomb - the tomb contains the Poet's remains and is the work of architect Camillo Morigia (1780). A small oil lantern burns in its interior with the oil offered during a ceremony which takes place each year on the anniversary of the Poet's death.