Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ravenna's essential business is its eight Unesco World Heritage Sites, most of which lie
scattered around the town (with one situated 5km outside). Five of them must be visited
on the same ticket (€11.50), on sale at the tourist office (Via Argentario; 9am-5.15pm) . One
is free. The other two can be paid for separately. The website www.ravennamosaici.it
gives more information.
Basilica di San Vitale
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CHURCH
(Via Fiandrini, entrance on Via San Vitale; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5.30pm Mar & Oct, 9.30am-5pm Nov-
Feb) Sometimes, after weeks of trolling around dark Italian churches, you can lose your
sense of wonder. Not here! The lucid mosaics that adorn the altar of this ancient church
consecrated in 547 by Archbishop Massimiano invoke a sharp intake of breath in most
visitors. Gaze in wonder at the rich greens, brilliant golds and deep blues bathed in shafts
of soft yellow sunlight.
The mosaics on the side and end walls represent scenes from the Old Testament: to the
left, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac in the presence of three angels, while the one on
the right portrays the death of Abel and the offering of Melchizedek. Inside the chancel,
two magnificent mosaics depict the Byzantine emperor Justinian with San Massimiano
and a particularly solemn and expressive Empress Theodora, who was his consort.
Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
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MAUSOLEUM
(Via Fiandrini; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, to 5.30pm Mar & Oct, 9.30am-5pm Nov-Feb) In the same com-
plex as Basilica di San Vitale, the small but equally incandescent Mausoleo di Galla Pla-
cidia was constructed for Galla Placidia, the half-sister of Emperor Honorius, who initi-
ated construction of many of Ravenna's grandest buildings. The mosaics here are the old-
est in Ravenna, probably dating from around AD 430.
Museo Arcivescovile
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MUSEUM
(Piazza Arcivescovado; 9am-7pm Apr-Sep, 9.30am-5.30pm Oct & Mar, 10am-5pm Nov-Feb) A mu-
seum with a difference, this recently renovated religious gem is on the 2nd floor of the
Archiepiscopal Palace. It hides two not-to-be-missed exhibits: an exquisite ivory throne
carved for Emperor Maximilian by Byzantium craftsmen in the 6th century (the surviving
detail is astounding); and Ravenna's most improbable mosaics displayed in the 5th-cen-
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