Ravishing Ravenna

 Annamaria on Monday

Ravenna, which is south of Venice, and close to the Adriatic coast, has been a capital city of The Western Roman Empire and then still a capital under the Ostrogoths, the Byzantines, and the Lombards.

Thanks to that illustrious past, it now boasts eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, that are sights worth seeing.  The mosaics, dating from the Third to the Sixth century AD, are miraculously beautiful.  Thrilling to see.

Dante is buried there, so I had a chance to pay homage to him.  And to visit the latest archeological discovery, the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra (Home of the Carpets of Stone), the remains of Roman villas, discovered 1993 when the builder of an apartment block was excavating for an intended parking garage.  But that's Italy for you.  You never know when a construction project will reveal another fascinating part of the patrimony of humanity.

Here is what I saw pared down as viciously as I could bear.

Basilica di S. Apollinare Nuovo

This image an all of those below are made with tiny pieces of stone.

Dante's Tomb

 

Basilica di San Vitale

Proof that, in Italy, you even walk on works of art.

Windows glazed with alabaster.

     Battistero Neoniano

San Eufemia/Domus di Tappeti di Pietra

Battistero degli Ariani

Tutti Splendidi!