Ravenna

Our exchange group

Last weekend, I went with my exchange program on our spring trip to Ravenna. Compared to the fall trip to Florence, Ravenna was much more laid back and offered a completely different experience. Historically, Ravenna was one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire (due to its strategic location on the Adriatic Sea) and was even capital of the Empire on a couple of occasions (In the 5th and 8th century) Not surprisingly, a lot of the art in the city is heavily influenced by Roman culture, but there is also a large influence from the successive Germanic tribes that inhabited the city in the 6th century. What makes Ravenna unique from most other Italian cities is its mosaics. Almost all of the most important artwork is in the form of mosaics; instead of entering a church and seeing a large fresco, the same scene is depicted in a mosaic. It is unclear why Ravenna had such a fascination with mosaics, but the influence is all over the city. Everything from street signs to bikes is decorated with mosaic tiles.

Typical street sign in Ravenna

Bike decorated with mosaic tiles

One of the things that I enjoyed about Ravenna was that it wasn’t completely bustling with activity (after our trip to Rome, it was nice to exhale a little bit). We got to visit the city's main attractions without feeling like there were a thousand other tourists breathing down our necks. The biggest attractions in Ravenna are the churches. The three major churches that we visited were: the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, and the Basilica of San Vitale. All three of the churches were beautiful, but the Basilica of San Vitale took the cake. It is considered one of the most important examples of Byzantine architecture in the world, which is characterized by large domes accompanied by square bases and lots of arches and vaults. The interior of the Basilica is even more beautiful than the exterior, the mosaics are so extravagant and detailed that, from a distance, they seem like paintings. 

Basilica San Vitale

Basilica San Vitale

Basilica San Vitale

Basilica San Vitale

Beyond the churches, some of the other interesting attractions we got to see were Dante’s tomb and the Mausoleum of Theodoric. After seeing Dante’s home in Florence and the subsequently studying him and his works for so long, it seemed fitting to see his final resting place (there was also some cathartic value to seeing the tomb of someone who has been the source of the majority of my stress at school this year). I also really enjoyed seeing the Mausoleum of Theodoric and learning about this relatively unknown but important historical figure. He was the Ostrogoth King that took control of Ravenna after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, but unlike many Germanic tribes, he didn’t ransack Ravenna. In fact, he kept all of the Roman art intact and was one of the largest proponents in the building of the beautiful mosaics and churches that we see today.

Dante's tomb

Dante's tomb

Outside Basilica Sant'Apollinare Nuovo

Mausoleum of Theodoric

After visiting the churches and other interesting attractions of Ravenna, we had some free time to explore the city center. We spent our time navigating the picturesque piazzas and ate piadine, a traditional meal of the “Romagna” region, (the eastern half of Emilia-Romagna). Piadine are the thicker and more delicious version of tortillas and can be filled with whatever combination of cured meat, cheese, and vegetable that you want.

Piadine

And of course we topped off the day with a gelato before we left!

Gelato break