Comune di Ravenna

Ravenna is a city of ancient origins and a glorious past. Situated just a few kilometres from the Adriatic sea, from the beginning of the V century A.D. it was designated three times a capital: during the final phases of the Western Roman Empire (402-403), during the reign of the Goths under Theodoric (493-526) and finally under Byzantine domination (553 – 751).

Ravenna was in fact the centre of a fundamental transition for all of Europe: at first a privileged crossroads between the East and West, between Byzantium and Rome, then playing a fundamental role as crossroads between North and South, between continental peoples and the Mediterranean tradition.

In this exchange, the complicity of the sea and the relationship with it proved to be of fundamental importance. Indeed, it is not surprising that Ravenna is still the location of one of the most important commercial and industrial ports in Italy, as it was two thousand years ago with the centre of Classe, a maritime and military hub established by the emperor Octavian Augustus.

Within the ancient walls of Ravenna is the richest patrimony of mosaics, dating back to the V and VI centuries. For this reason, eight paleochristian and Byzantine religious building have been designated at UNESCO World Heritage of Humanity sites.

The simple exterior of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia hides a case of infinite stars; the refined composition that decorates the Neonian Baptistery was inspired by a cultured Hellenistic tradition, also recalled in the Arian Baptistery; the regality of the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo reveals its origins as a palatine church, erected by Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths; more than one hundred delightful little birds introduce us to the intimacy of the Cappella di Sant’Andrea, where the Triumphant Christ is celebrated; the majestic Mausoleum of Theodoric is covered by the sturdy “stone” of the cupola; the Basilica di San Vitale, the ultimate treasure of the paleochristian era, houses the portrait of the Byzantine imperial court; outside the city, the wonderfully elegant Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe exalts Christ and Sant’Apollinare, the first bishop and patron saint, in the apse.

In addition to these, more sites of artistic and archaeological interest contribute to the reconstruction of the ancient history of the city, like the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra, a building complex that can be dated between the era of the Roman Republic and the Byzantine period; the Ancient Gateway of Classe, a surface area of approximately 10,000 square metres capable of offering visitors an approximately synchronic view of the ancient late Roman port between the V and VI centuries, and the Rasponi Crypt with its mosaic flooring, originally from the Church of San Severo (Classe) and dating back to the VI century, decorated with ornamental motifs and animal figures depicted in natural poses and enlivened with the use of enamels that exalt the chromatic richness.

December 2018 saw the opening of Classis Ravenna – Museum of the City and the Territory that illustrates the birth and evolution of the city of Ravenna and of the nearby port village of Classe, following a time line that brings us from Antiquity to today: prehistory, Ancient Rome, the Gothic phase, the Byzantine era, the Early Middle Ages to the more recent XX century.

But Ravenna also possesses a dense network of museums capable of telling the history of the city and its traditions in a variety of ways: the National Museum gathers together important archaeological artefacts, including the sepulchral steles and Roman epigraphs and collections of minor arts; the Archiepiscopal Museum houses numerous works of art from the ancient cathedral and other buildings that no longer exist, including the Maximian’s ivory throne, made by Byzantine artists of the VI century A.D.
The Complex of San Nicolò hosts the Tamo Museum - Tutta l’Avventura del Mosaico, dedicated to the history and art of the mosaic, with artefacts of the mosaic heritage of Ravenna and its territory from ancient ages to the production of modern and contemporary artists and samples of industrial mosaics.

The MAR - Museo d’Arte della Città di Ravenna (Ravenna Municipal Art Museum), situated inside the ex-monastery of the adjacent Abbey of Santa Maria in Porto (which dates back to the 16th-century and is today known as Loggetta Lombardesca), as well as being a venue for numerous and important temporary art shows, also hosts three permanent collections: an ancient collection of works dating between the XIV and XIX centuries (including highlights like the statue of Guidarello Guidarelli by Tullio Lombardo, 1525); a modern collection with works dating from the XIX to the XXI centuries and, finally, a long gallery dedicated to the forms of contemporary mosaic.

It must never be forgotten however that Ravenna stands quite near the Adriatic Sea with a long coastline and 35 km of sandy beaches, subdivided into 9 beach resorts, each of which offers a wide range of services and equipment for a relaxing, fun, and healthy stay.

Ravenna means Nature. Indeed, Ravenna developed near the environmental areas of the Po Delta Regional Park, with its lagoons and pine groves. Its fauna enjoys a habitat very similar to that of the Camargue in France: the Oasis of Punte Alberete, the Canna Valley, the Boscoforte Peninsula, the zone of the Ortazzo and Ortazzino and the adjacent Bevano Delta where visitors can participate in guided tours, bicycle excursions and even birdwatching. Last but not least is the beautiful pine grove of San Vitale and the centuries-old pine grove of Classe, south of the city, that inspired both Dante and Boccaccio.

There are plenty of opportunities to walk or pedal along their trails or ride amidst the pines, as well as enjoy the manifestations that celebrate their naturalistic wonders and the food fests that promote typical local products, like Sagra del Tartufo di Pineta (Festival of the Pine Grove Truffle), the Sagra del Pinolo (Festival of the Pine Nut), and the Festival Naturae.

The younger crowds and families won’t want to miss a visit to Mirabilandia, the largest amusement park in Italy with a total surface area of 850,000 sq.m and brimming with attractions and shows. The park also features the Mirabeach water park.

Ravenna is a city rich in events year round. Just to name a few of the best-known: the summer night-time Mosaic festival that from July to September offers the opportunity to admire some of the most famous monuments, like the Basilica di San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra, the Rasponi Crypt, the National Museum, and the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe during the evening.

Always during the summer, from June to July, there is the Ravenna Festival, one of the best European cultural manifestations, with original productions ranging from opera to concerts to dance, from jazz, to ethnic music, from dramatic theatre to experimentation, cinema, conventions, and exhibitions, all in a colourful, crowd-pleasing programme of the highest level.

Lovers of indie rock will not want to miss, at the beginning of June, on the beach of Marina di Ravenna, the Beaches Brew Festival, which has become a consolidated point of reference for the international “indie” music community.

The city proposes a rich programme of events dedicated to Dante Alighieri, whose tomb is in Ravenna, with a series of conferences, public readings, and shows dedicated to the Sommo Poeta – or Supreme Poet – and always in autumn the Alighieri Theatre turns the spotlights on opera with the proposals made by the Trilogia d’Autunno.

In autumn instead, the offerings are dedicated to opera with the autumn Trilogia. This year, from 23 November to 2 December, it is dedicated to Verdi, whose Nabucco, Rigoletto, and Otello will be staged.

Finally, at Christmas, the city celebrates with the videomapping festival, Ravenna in Luce, an initiative capable of combining the precious architectural monuments of the city with the modernity of the video mapping and again, October 2019 saw the two-year RavennaMosaico festival, dedicated to contemporary mosaic and its various facets.

DISCOVER RAVENNA

MONUMENTS ON THE LIST OF UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

BASILICA DI SAN VITALE (VI sec.)
One of the wonders of Western Byzantium. Marbles, capitals, and mosaics, including those depicting the processions of Justinian and Theodora.

MAUSOLEUM OF GALLA PLACIDA (V century)
The oldest wall mosaics in Ravenna

ARIAN BAPTISTERY (VI century)
A building of the Arian cult.

NEONIAN BAPTISTERY (V century)
Decorated inside with Hellenistic-Roman mosaics

CHAPEL OF SAINT ANDREW (V century)
The only orthodox monument dating back to the reign of Theodoric.

BASILICA DI SANT’APOLLINARE NUOVO (VI century)
This was originally the palatine church of Theodoric. The wall surfaces are decorated with mosaics, including the procession of the virgins and the martyrs, among the largest from antiquity still in existence today

MAUSOLEUM OF THEODORIC (VI century)
Tomb, the architecture of which combines Roman, Byzantine, and barbaric tradition

BASILICA DI SANT’APOLLINARE IN CLASSE (VI century)
Grandiose for its architecture and mosaics depicting the “transfiguration”, in a verdant landscape.

BASILICAS AND CHURCHES

BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA
BASILICA DI SAN GIOVANNI EVANGELISTA (V century)
BASILICA DI SAN FRANCESCO (V century)
BASILICA DI SANT’AGATA MAGGIORE (V century)
BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA IN PORTO (1553 – 1606)
CHIESA DELLO SPIRITO SANTO
CHIESA DI SANTA CROCE
CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEL SUFFRAGIO (XVIII century)
CHIESA DI SANT’EUFEMIA (1742 – 1747)
18th-century paintings decorate this church.

MONUMENTS AND BUILDINGS

RASPONI CRYPT
ARDEA PURPUREA FOUNTAIN
INDOOR MARKET
PALAZZETTO VENEZIANO (XV century)
CITY HALL
PALAZZO DEI CONGRESSI (conference centre)
PALAZZO DELLA PROVINCIA (provincial offices)
PALAZZO DELLE ARTI E DELLO SPORT MAURO DE ANDRÈ (Mauro De André Art and Sport Centre)
PALACE OF THEODORIC (VII – VIII century)
PLANETARIUM
DANTE’S TOMB (1780) AND QUADRARCO DI BRACCIOFORTE (ancient oratory)

MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITION SPACES

MAR – RAVENNA MUNICIPAL ART MUSEUM
Via di Roma, 13
+39 0544.482356 www.museocitta.ra.it
Loggetta Lombardesca (1508), location of the municipal museum and painting gallery.

ARCHIEPISCOPAL MUSEUM
Piazza Arcivescovado, 1
+39 0544.541688
The museum houses the “Ivory Throne” of Bishop Maximian (VI century).

DANTE MUSEUM
Via Beatrice Alighieri, 7
This museum houses a large quantity of works on Dante and his life.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF RAVENNA
Via Fiandrini +39 0544.543711
Notable collections of Roman, paleochristian, Byzantine, and medieval artefacts

SAN NICOLÒ COMPLEX
Via Rondinelli, 6
+39 0544.213371 • www.ravennantica.it

MUSEUM OF THE RISORGIMENTO
Via Baccarini, 3 +39 0544.482112 • www.classense.ra.it

SMALL MUSEUM OF DOLLS AND OTHER TOYS
Via M. Fantuzzi, 4
+39 331.2663331

LA CASA DELLE MARIONETTE (The Home of the Marionette)
Vicolo Padenna, 4/a
+39 0544.32056

SAN DOMENICO – URBAN CENTER
Via Cavour, 1
+39 0544.21286 • www.urbancenter.it

SANTA MARIA DELLE CROCI
Via Guaccimanni, 5/7
+39 0544.482477 • www.museocitta.ra.it

NATURA – MUSEO RAVENNATE DI SCIENZE NATURALI A. BRANDOLINI (Ravenna Natural Sciences Museum) AND PO DELTA PARK VISITORS’ CENTRE
Via Rivaletto, 25 – Sant’Alberto (RA) +39 0544.529260 • www.natura.ra.it

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

DOMUS DEI TAPPETI DI PIETRA (V – VI centuries)
Via Barbiani, entrance via the Church of S. Eufemia
+39 0544.32512 • www.ravennantica.it
Marvellous floor mosaics of a large Byzantine palace covering approximately 800 square metres.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE OF CLASSE REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT PORT.

OTHER

DANTE ALIGHIERI THEATRE
CLASSENSE LIBRARY
ORIANI LIBRARY
PARKS
GIARDINI PUBBLICI SANTI BALDINI
GIARDINI SPEYER
PARCO DELLA PACE
PARCO DI TEODORICO
ROCCA BRANCALEONE (XV century)