Ravenna is a busy modern city that is slowly discovering its past. Since WWII it has begun to redisover its vast art treasures and the incomparable mosaics which have made it famous all over the world.
Our first stop was Sant Apollinare Nuovo. The basilica was built in the late 5th or early 6th century by Theodoric as a church for Arian worship dedicated to Christ the Redeemer.
The bell tower was built in the 9th or 10th century and is 38 meters high.
Mosaic scenes describing the life of Christ adorn the walls and ceiling of the basilica.
Brandon keeps himself occupied with his new Nintendo DSi. Actually, it wasn't just games keeping him occupied. He spend much of his time using the camera feature to take his own pictures.
Mosaics are everywhere in Ravenna, even over doorsteps of citizens homes.
Mosaics have also been incorporated into the street signs of Ravenna.
The next stop on our tour of Ravenna mosaics was the Museo Arcivescovile. The museo houses a small collection of relics. We visited only for a few minutes before moving on.
The Duomo, completed in 1743.
Located next to the Duomo is the Neonian Baptistery. This circular building was built in the 4th or 5th centuries. It is a simple, octagonal brick building with four large niches. The mosaics inside the Baptistery were completed in the mid 5th century.
I love the simple detail work and patterns
Ceiling of the Baptistery
The details are amazing for such simple artwork
Bell tower of the Duomo
From the Baptistery, we headed across the old town to see the Basilica Di San Vitale and the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia.
Along the way we passed a parking area named after a famous American president. We also stopped at a chocolate shop to buy some tasty chocolate eggs.
Mosaic sign outside one of many studios in Ravenna
Mosaic in a shop window.
Just down the street we stopped inside a mosaic studio to see one of the artists at work. These are two of his pieces:
Shiny glass tub basin
Roman inspired design
This cool car was sitting outside the Basilica. I don't know what it is?
This was spray painted in many places around town. Apparently there is controversy about the zoo or a potential zoo?
The Basilica di San Vitale, completed in 548 by Bishop Maximian. This basilica boasts a very strong eastern influence.
Above the alter
\Floor mosaics
The dome (16 mt in diameter) were frescoed in 1780 by the Bolognese artists Barozzi and Gandolfi and by Venetian painter Guarana.
More floor mosaics
Mosaic above the alter
And more mosaic floor patterns
Located behind the basilica is Galla Placidia's Mausoleum. It is the oldest of its kind left intact and was built in the 5th century. The exterior of the building is a very simple brick design. The interior is quite the opposite of the exterior. It is lavish and elaborately decorated with mosaics.
Ceiling mosaics in the mausoleum
We were hungry for lunch at this point, so we found a nice trattoria just outside the basilica and enjoyed some pasta dishes.
Another mosaic street sign
And some mosaic accented planters.
We wanted to visit one last church, San Apollinare in Classe. It is located about 5km out of town, so we had to pickup our car at the hotel to drive there. It was built in 549.
Impressive mosaic work above the alter.
Katrina was tired, so she and Brandon went back to the room for a nap. I wandered back to a mosaic shop we had spotted earlier in the day - annafietta mosaico contemporaneo . The shop was overwhelming with pieces of art, mirrors, frames and a whole room of supplies. I realized that I must have a project in mind before I can shop for materials.
This evening we had dinner at Al Passatore, the same place Brandon and I had dinner last night. Once again, it was quite good.
After dinner we attended a brass concert held Basilica di Sant' Apollinare Nuovo. It was a wonderful concert, although the church was quite cold inside.
I know the picture is a little out of focus, but I wanted to show you what we enjoyed.
Tomorrow we will check out of the hotel and drive an hour south to visit the Republic of San Marino...
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