You can easily reach Ravenna with a train from Bologna, you will arrive in about 1 hour or 1 and a half hour. There are direct trains from Bologna, but not all of them are: some others will stop at Ferrara or Faenza and there you will have to take another train to Ravenna. IF you take the one which stops at Ferrara it will take you 2 hours to arrive.
Ravenna is a very ancient city and it was 3 times a capital city: it was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until 476, then it was the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths and finally of the Byzantine Empire. It is now known as the city of mosaics as it was a very popular form of art of the Byzantine Empire.
There's a lot to see and one day isn't enough to see every little treasure of this city, but we'll try to cover the main attraction. Let's start!
As always i will start from the train station. Take via Carducci and then turn left in via di Roma and you will find the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, not to be confused with another church in Ravenna named Church of Sant'Apollinare in Veclo. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
It was erected in 505 by Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoth then it was reconsecrated in 561 AD and finally changed its name in the current one in 856 AD when the remains of Saint Apollinaris were transferred here. On the upper right wall there are 13 mosaics depicting the Passion and Resurrection of Christ whilst on the bottom side of the wall there are 16 mosaics depicting saints. On the upper left wall there are 13 mosaics depicting Jesus' miracles, and below 16 mosaics depicting saints.
We go now in via Negri, until we reach the Basilica of Saint Francis, built in the 10th century, which may seems a normal church but, under the presbytery, after 2 flights of stairs there is a crypt. The peculiarity of this crypt is that it is below sea level so there is water and even a few gold fishes. That is a very hidden gem and many tourists don't know about its existence. The light here is always turned off but you can turn it on with a 1 euro coin. Under the water you can still see, besides the fishes, the mosaic floor.
Not far from here there is the tomb of Dante Alighieri since, and very few people know that, he died here (you can see his house in Florence, plan a trip with our itinerary). It is a tomb built in 1780, it's like a temple and inside you can see the actual 1400s tomb in which is carved a 1483 bas-relief of Dante in front of a lectern. In the ceiling inside the little temple there is a votive oil lamp which perpetually burns with olive oil from Florence, which is donate by the city every year in the day of Dante's death anniversary.
We take now via Gordini and go straight until you find via Guerrini. Turn right and take the first street on the left, via Rasponi that will lead you to Battistero Neoniano (Baptistery of Neon, also called Orthodox Baptistery), the most ancient monument in the city, built at the end of the 4th century. It was the baptistery of a church destroyed in 1734. It has an octagonal structure and inside there are frescoes and mosaics but the most important work of art is he mosaic on the ceiling, consisting of 3 concentric circles: the first one depicts architecture elements such as thrones or altars, the second one depicts the 12 apostles on a light blue background and the last one, in the center, depicts John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site also. To book a visit and for more information visit the official site of Ravenna. Take now via Kennedy (then via d'Azeglio) and turn right in via Cattaneo until you reach the Basilica of San Vitale, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important examples of early Christian Byzantine architecture. It was built in 547 and like other churches in Ravenna, its main work of art are the mosaics inside, depicting angels, saints and biblical characters. They are astonishing and alone the worth the visit to Ravenna! Visit the official site of Ravenna to more information.
Not far from the Basilica there is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, a roman building also in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The vault and the cupola are decorated with mosaics representing the victory of eternal life over death.You can buy a 9,5 euros ticket to visit many of the sites in this tour, more information in the Ravenna official site.
I hope you enjoyed the tour, i will soon post another Ravenna itinerary for 2 and 3 days. Don't forget to comment any question or suggestion.
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