April 1, 2023 – Ravenna, Italy

We arrived in Ravenna around sunrise.  I opened our curtains and see a beautiful beach area and pier.  Landscape is very flat and very few buildings close to where the ship docked.

I wanted to go to San Marino today but that tour was sold out and we did not clear the wait list, so we’re winging it.  Karen’s walking tour of Ravenna.  The town provided a shuttle bus from the port to city center, so we had breakfast and took the bus.  

It’s a crisp, spring morning in northern Italy.  The sky is beautiful blue without a cloud in the sky.  We knew it would be chilly this morning and warming to almost 70 this afternoon.  Had our jackets and scarves to keep us warm while walking.  

We got off the bus and went into San Giovanni Evangelista.  We were told the mosaics of Ravenna were famous and I can see why.  Not the usual tan or brownish color, but gold’s, blue’s and green’s.  The color and detail are striking.  

We walked to Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo.  A beautiful, tall tower greeted us.  We decided to buy tickets to visit as many of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as possible.  Our ticket was only 12 Euro’s to visit 5 locations and we saw them all.  First, we walked into Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo to see 24 marble columns from Constantinople. Interesting that many of the buildings are red brick material on outside and not extravagant on exterior, but wait until you see the inside.  After visiting one, I would put next location into google maps and off we would go.  We really enjoyed walking the streets of Ravenna.

Ravenna has a magnificent collection of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites.  Ravenna was added to our itinerary when Venice was removed.  At first, I was disappointed but we’ve spent 3 days in Venice before and it was time to explore a new region.  I can now tell you, Ravenna is a hidden gem and did not disappoint!  Loved that it’s not full of tourists, but this gorgeous, little town had tiny, narrow streets full of cafes in a piazza, shops, museums and historical buildings.  Old, very old buildings with huge wooden doors and mosaics, colorful mosaics like I’ve never seen before.

Ravenna’s history dates back to 2 BC when it was colonized by the Romans.  Once a lagoon city, Ravenna’s canals were covered over in the 15th century and a central square was created.  Piazza del Popolo is the heart of the city.  The majority of the artwork was created during the Byzantine Empire.  Speaking of Piazza del Popolo, we stopped at an outdoor cafe and split a piece of lasagna bolognese.  Delicious!  We thought it would be fun to eat our way around the city after our walking tour.

Next, the Basilica di San Vitale, designed on a traditional 6th century octagonal floor plan, contains what is considered to be the most impressive Byzantine mosaics in the Western world.  Natural sunlight illuminates the magnificent artwork in this massive cupola, lighting images of scripture and the court of Emperor Justinian 1 in a golden glow.  We spent some time just looking up at the stories of mosaics on the ceiling.  Amazing!

In the basilica’s backyard, you find the jewel of Ravenna’s crown, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (daughter of Emperor Theodosius I).  The small, plain looking building gives you no clue to it’s fabulous interior.  It dates back to 430 AD.  You walk into this dark entry and let your eyes adjust.  The room is cast in an aquamarine hue of blue and green tiles and the mythical ceiling, dark blue background and 800 golden stars.  Mesmerizing!

We went to a baptistry, very plain exterior, but again the inside was brilliant.  The ceiling had a mosaic of John the Baptist, baptizing Jesus in the Jordan.  Beautiful detail.

Another site was a museum that contained St Andrew’s chapel. We went upstairs and there hidden in a dark area was a tiny chapel. Again, the mosaics were stunning.

After my walking tour concluded, I believe we had walked 6 miles and we were hungry.  We stopped at an old building that was a merchant co-op.  Inside there were very tall ceilings and many merchants and restaurants.  We sat down at this big wooden table and ordered a sampler platter with a few glasses of wine.  The platter said for two but when the waitress appeared at our table, my eyes got big and she laughed.  Two platters before us that contained parma ham, aged prosciutto, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, breads, orange slices, fresh pears, strawberries, olive oil, several kinds of soft and hard cheeses, fig jam and honey.  O MY WORD!  Ok, we put a dent in it and then asked for 2 containers to take it back to the ship.  I had the best of glass of Moscato that I’ve ever tasted.  We decided we needed to walk it off, so we strolled through the streets, soaking it all up and ended up back in the piazza.  The markets with many varieties of olives, vegetables, cheeses, breads and so many kinds of meats (salami, parma ham etc) and gelato.  Lol.  Yes, gelato to finish our lovely journey through Ravenna.  Ah, what a day!

We went back to the ship and called our friends to meet us. We brought our leftovers from lunch and shared all the prosciutto for sandwiches.

What an unforgettable day we had.  So happy that this is a 2-day port.

Ravenna is a gem and it did not disappoint.