Ravenna Top 10

Walking in direction of the Mausoleum and looking at its bare exterior you probably don’t even imagine that in a such little space you’re going to find wonderful mosaics, the most ancient of Ravenna. We’re not exaggerating when we say that the atmosphere you breathe inside the Mausoleum is magic. The emperor Onorio (who transferred the capital of his empire from Milan to Ravenna) wanted this monument for her sister Galla Placidia. The theme represented with the technique of the mosaic is the victory of life over death according with the future use of the monument. The starry sky represented on the vaulted ceiling is the real protagonist that has quite an effect on the visitors and makes this place unforgettable. It seems that Cole Porter had the same sensation when in the 20’s went to Ravenna during his honeymoon. The story tells that was this starry sky that inspired the famous song “Night and day”.

How to get here: By feet from the centre of Ravenna
When: Everyday from 9 am to 7 pm
Never: 25th December
Tickets: 8,50 € The ticket allow you to visit: Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Orthodox Baptistery (Neonian Baptistery), San Vitale and Mausoleum of Gallia Placidia

This temple has an octagonal plan (eight symbolizes the resurrection because it is the result of seven, the time, plus one, the number of God) ** and it is one of the most important monuments of the paleo- Christian age.** Because of the splendid mosaics but even because of its adherence to the oriental art canon: there are no nave and aisles in this basilica but just a central frescoed dome with octagonal base. If you succeed in stopping looking at the mosaic, in particular Teodora’s face, you’ll notice on the floor some concentric circles: it’s a labyrinth, a typical metaphoric picture that can be found in Christian churches. The labyrinth symbolize the path of salvation from the sin to the purification. If you want to try to go out from that labyrinth we give you a clue: you have to start from the centre. The rest is up to you.

How to get here: By feet from the centre of Ravenna
When: Everyday from 9 am to 7 pm (the ticket office closes at 6,45 pm)
Never: 25th December
Tickets: 8,50 € The ticket allow you to visit: Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Orthodox Baptistery (Neonian Baptistery), San Vitale and Mausoleum of Gallia Placidia

Among Ravenna’s churches this is one of the most impressive. The mosaics here contained challenge in beauty the ones of the others Ravenna’s churches. The subject of the mosaic is Jesus Christ. He appears surrounded by the 4 evangelists and by sheeps, symbolizing the apostles. Jesus face is in the middle of a cross, in a circle decorated with 99 stars. This representation is included in a paradise landscape among the sky, green grass, stones, trees, flowers and coloured birds. Today the basilica is 8 kilometres far from the centre of the city and some kilometres far from the seaside, but when it was built it was situated on the sea shore. Near the basilica there are the excavations of the archaeological site of the ancient city of Classe, seat of the Roman fleet on the Adriatic sea.

How to get here: From the centre of the city by car, it’s 6 km south of Ravenna; from the station of Ravenna by bus n° 4 or by train, stop “Classe” and 5 minutes by feet.
When: Everyday from 8,30 am to 7,30 pm. The ticket office closes at 7 pm
Tickets: 3 €, or the ticket that includes the National Museum and the Teodoric Mausoleum 6 €, or 8 € the ticket that includes National Museum, the Teodoric Mausoleum and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe.

For many people is a surprise discovering that Dante’s tomb is here in Ravenna and not in Florence. Dante died in Ravenna during his exile and in spite of the continue tentatives to bring his dead body back to Florence, he’s still in Ravenna. The Franciscans stole his mortal spoils and jealously kept it for several centuries, opposing to the will of kings and popes who tried to bring back the body in Florence. Thanks to the Franciscans the spoils of the writer has been saved from the bombardments of the second world war. There’s one thing which remembers Florence near this grave: a votive lamp of the XVIII century made up from the oil produced on the Apennines of Tuscany. This oil is donated every year, the second Sunday of September, from the city of Florence.

How to get here: By feet from the centre of Ravenna
When: Everyday from 10 am to 6,30 pm
Never: 1st November, 25th December, 1st January
Tickets: Free entrance

The Arian baptistery was built during the kingdom of the king Theodoric, in that period Ravenna was the Capital of his reing and the Arianism was the official religion of his court. Arianism was considered from the Catholic church as heresy because one of this religion convictions was that Jesus Christ was son of God but he was considered human until the moment of baptism. The mosaics on the vault represent and celebrate the baptism. Unlike the Orthodox Baptistery the representation here show a Christ not coming from the East (as the Nicene creed reels: “Light of Light, Very God of very God…”) but going in direction of the East, becoming divine only during the baptism moment. Jesus Christ is considered as a man, so his nudity it’s not censored, while he’s immersed in the Jordan’s waters and John the baptist is baptising him. From the sky the divine dove come down bringing with her the light, symbolizing the spirit, on the Jesus head.

How to get here: By feet from the centre of Ravenna
When: Everyday from 9 am to 7,30 pm
Tickets: Free entrance

The Neonian Baptistery was the Catholic answer to the Arian heresy(it was built for will of the bishop Neone) which rose at the top of its splendour under the reign of Theodoric. This contrast is evident if you compare the mosaic of the vault of this baptistery with the one you can find in the Arian Bapstery. The Christ here represented comes from the East (as the Nicene creed reels: “Light of Light, Very God of very God…”) and it’s divine before the baptism. While the Arians affirmed the contrary.
It is said that Karl Gustav Jung (the well known psychologist) during his stay in Ravenna in the 30’s visited this baptistery and he saw a mosaic which represented Jesus Christ while he was holding out his hand to Saint Peter who was drowning. He debated long time with his partner about this image and he concluded that it was a symbolic representation of the death and of the rebirth. Only after some time, when he was looking without success for a photo of that image, he understood that it didn’t exist and that it was just an invention of his mind. Jung took as exemple that episode to write beautiful pages about unconscious and conscious and about how the imagination can change our perception of reality.

How to get here: By feet from the centre of Ravenna
When: Everyday from 9 am to 7 pm
Tickets: 8,50 € The ticket allow you to visit: Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Orthodox Baptistery (Neonian Baptistery), San Vitale and Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

The planetarium isn’t one of the most known monuments in Ravenna but it is one of the things you must not miss during your stay in this city. If you like watching the stars, the planets and the solar system this is the right place. There’s a big room with 56 seat covered by a dome of 8 meters diameters where the artificial image of the sky vault is cast on, as you should see it to the naked eye (if there weren’t light and air pollution). The lights turn off and you can see a few meters from your eyes 3000 stars divided in two hemispheres: from the Polar star to the Magellanic clouds, from the constellation of Cassiopeia to the Southern cross. An automatic mechanism allows you to control and to speed up the movements of the stars and of the planets to show you the alternation between night and day and to watch all the planets of the solar system while doing their orbits around the sun. Outside the building there’s a big sundial with two quadrants and a circle of Hipparchus that calculates the moment of the equinoxes.

How to get here: In the public gardens, 300 meters from the station. By car or by bus n° 4.
When: Every Tuesday at 9 pm. To make an appointment call: 0039 054462534
Tickets: 5 €