RAVENNA | EMILIA ROMAGNA

Discover Ravenna

Ravenna, a province of Emilia Romagna, is the city of mosaics. Its ancient origins can be seen from the beautiful buildings in its historic centre, such as the Town Hall and the Cathedral. The Cathedral from the fifth century was rebuilt in Baroque style in the 1700s. The Neoniano Baptistery contains beautiful mosaics.
Mosaics are a very important document of the history of Ravenna’s successive Roman, barbarian, and Byzantine dominion.
Extraordinary mosaics are kept in the Basilica of San Vitale and in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (Doves drinking, The Good Shepherd).

Visit the mosaics The Procession of the Virgins and Christ the Redeemer in Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo was built by King Theodoric in the fifth century. Outside the city, visit Sant'Apollinare in Classe and its mosaic Transfiguration, a work from the sixth century. Due to the great importance of their mosaics, eight of Ravenna’s monuments are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
In the north of Ravenna, visit Theodoric’s Mausoleum made from huge blocks of Istrian stone.

The beautiful town of Bagnacavallo is in the province of Ravenna. Many visitors feel they already know this charming town, which is likely, given the strong link between the town and the cinema. Many important directors have chosen Bagnacavallo as the background for their films, particularly its Piazza Nuova.
Piazza Nuova is elliptical in shape and surrounded by a portico. In Piazza della Libertà visit the Town Hall, the Goldoni Theatre, the Civic Tower and Palazzo Vecchio. Brisighella and Cervia are other important Ravenna towns. At Cervia, visit the del Suffragio church with its fourteenth-century wooden crucifix. Make a visit to Cervia’s Salt Museum, located in two renovated salt warehouses. Despite its cold winters Brisighella is surrounded by olive groves and produces excellent oil. Muleteers carrying gypsum chose Brisighella as the location for their stables, a curious choice given the height of the village. Another curiosity of Brisighella is that it has produced eight cardinals between the 1500s and today.
Also in the Ravenna province is the town of Lugo, known for the design of the famous prancing horse: first the symbol of Francesco Baracca, then chosen by Enzo Ferrari for his racing cars.