Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Basilica di
Sant'Apollinare in Classe
(Via Romea Sud; adult/reduced €5/2.50; 8.30am-7.30pm Mon-Sat, 1-7.30pm Sun)
More magnificent
mosaics, this time in a signature early-Christian Ravennese church situated 5km to the
southeast of town in the small village of Classe. Fear not: the (small) effort to get here is
worth it. Lighter than other Ravenna churches, the brilliant star-spangled triumphal-arch
mosaic displays symbols of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Other mosaics in the apse depict Byzantium Emperor Constantine IV (652-685) and
biblical figures such as Abel and Abraham. The basilica - architecturally the city's most
'perfect' - was built in the early 6th century on the burial site of Ravenna's patron saint,
who converted the city to Christianity in the 2nd century. To get there take bus 4 to Classe
or take the train one stop in the direction of Rimini.
CHURCH
Battistero degli Ariani
BAPTISTERY
(Via degli Ariani; 8.30am-7.30pm Apr-Sep, to 4.30pm Oct-Mar)
Aside from its breathtak-
ing dome mosaic depicting the baptism of Christ, the Ariani's main quirk is that it's the
only Unesco site you can enter for free. But the gratis entry is no reflection of the quality
of the artistry inside, a vivid display of Christ being baptised encircled by the 12 Apostles.
The Ariani's mosaics were completed over a period of years beginning in the 5th cen-
tury. You can clearly detect slight variations in colour on some of the green stones.
Museo d'Arte della
Città di Ravenna
(
www.museocitta.ra.it
; Via di Roma 13; adult/reduced €9/7; 9am-6pm Tue-Thu, to 9pm Fri, to 7pm Sat
& Sun)
Arranged in a converted 15th-century monastery abutting a public garden, here
you'll find Ravenna's permanent art collection backed up by regular temporary expos.
The top floor is dedicated to some rather fetching modern mosaics first brought together
in the 1950s.
GALLERY
Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra
(Via B Gianbattista; adult/reduced €4/3; 10am-5pm Tue-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun)
More mosaics, but
noticeably different ones, these 6th-century floor mosaics from a 14-room late-Roman
MUSEUM
