Ravenna

Good morning to all the dear friends of  Hotel Elios in Bellaria Igea Marina!

In the last weeks we told you about Rimini, Santarcangelo, Igea Marina and Bellaria... Today, instead, we want to share with you the day we spent in Ravenna, one of the most historically important cities of Emilia Romagna. In fact, it is possible to find as many as EIGHT UNESCO monuments in Ravenna and a vast and marvellous territory that goes from the Apennines to the Adriatic sea.

Reaching Ravenna from Hotel Elios in Bellaria-Igea Marina is very simple. There are train connections every hour! So, after enjoying breakfast on our seafront terrace, we took the train to Ravenna, eager to venture into this new journey. 

After a ride of about 40 minutes, we arrived in Ravenna station and from there we walked towards the centre. To discover the main wonders of the city, we purchased the single ticket of the Diocese of Ravenna's Religion Work, which allowed us to visit five of the eight UNESCO World Heritage monuments! 

We started with the Neonian Baptistery, which was commissioned by Bishop Urso in the fifth century. Despite this, this building was named after his successor, Bishop Neone, who had the interior decorated with splendid mosaics.

Then, we walked towards the Basilica of Sant 'Apollinare Nuovo, built by Teoderico (493-526), next to his palace. As soon as we crossed the threshold, we were immediately fascinated by the wonderful decoration that characterizes it. In particular, it represents the entire evolution of the Byzantine parietal mosaic from the Teodoric age to the Justinian age. The 26 Christological scenes, dating back to the Theoderic period, today symbolize the largest monumental cycle of the New Testament.

From here we headed towards the Archiepiscopal Chapel or St. Andrew's. It dates back to the end of the 5th century, it was intended as a private oratory for bishops. It is the only early Christian archiepiscopal chapel that has survived intact to the present day.

Being by now lunchtime, we decided to stop in one of the many traditional bars and cafes in the pretty old town to stop for a while and relax a bit. It was not easy to choose which place to stop in: there are so many interesting views and many trattorias and historical places!

After lunch we resumed our tour and, since all the main monuments are easily reached on foot and are located in the centre of Ravenna, we did not miss the opportunity to enter one of the many typical shops to do some shopping!

The next stop on our tour was the Basilica of San Vitale, located in a complex surrounded by a beautiful green lawn, where peace and tranquillity reigns. The Basilica is divided into two parts, which together create a perfect union: one painted with a marvellous fresco, the other with a series of phenomenal mosaics.

Our day had almost come to an end and we decided to visit the last monument: The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia.

It was made by Galla Placidia (386 - 450 AD), sister of the emperor Honorius, the architect of the transfer of the capital of the Western Roman Empire from Milan to Ravenna in 402 AD. As soon as you enter you will be greeted by a glittering starry sky, as well as other beautiful mosaics that also cover lunettes and arches.

We wished we could continue our visit and discover the other artistic and historical peculiarities that this wonderful city presents … however, the evening had already arrived and we walked towards the station to take our train to Bellaria Igea Marina. We will certainly return in the future!

Look out for our next post!