Though we are staying in Bologna for a few days we couldn't pass up the day trip to Ravenna, an hours train trip away. It is a small town that is a Unesco World Heritage Site with several Byzantine Mosaics dating back to the 5th and 6th Centuries AD. There are six sites we visited today that each have their own distinct styles and stories. The mosaics are found in little Baptistries (a circular brick church) and in Basilicas and Mausoleums. The incredible detail of every mosaic leaves us breathless....contemplative...mystified. These are ancient stories unraveling here but ones we know so well from the bible. Jesus is the cornerstone of the themes but so too are the parables, miracles, and people who He loved. And there is one in particular that I loved with stars and birds in a deep blue and gold. No expense was spared in creating these Incredible masterpieces, high up in the domes and tall walls and as the sunlight glitters across the gold laden mosaics you can't help but feel the richness of it all. This is a sacred space. Prayers have been uttered here over the ages, and prayers have been answered. We are two of many pilgrims who have come to see, and we leave a little richer for having seen it. And perhaps a little poorer as I bought a mosaic cross for my collection! Just wait till you see it and then you'll know why I had to have it!!!