What is Ravenna known for?

Eight monuments from the fifth and sixth centuries inscribed in 1996, including San Vitale, Galla Placidia and Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402, of Theoderic's Ostrogothic kingdom from 493, and of Byzantine Italy until 751. The poet died here in 1321 in exile from Florence and is buried beside the Basilica of San Francesco, in a neoclassical tomb of 1781.

Ravenna is a comune in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, about 1 kilometers from Ravenna.

Emilia-Romagna · Ravenna

Ravenna

A 4-meter coastal capital of three successive empires, with eight UNESCO mosaic monuments from the fifth and sixth centuries.

1 km / 1 mi

Nearest hub (Ravenna)

155,751

Population

May–Sep

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Ravenna sits four meters above sea level on the Adriatic coastal plain, ten kilometers from the sea and 105 kilometers east of Modena. The city was capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 under Honorius, then of Theoderic's Ostrogothic kingdom, then of the Byzantine Exarchate that held northern Italy for Constantinople until 751. Each empire built churches and decorated them with mosaics. UNESCO inscribed eight of them on the World Heritage list in 1996: the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Neonian and Arian Baptisteries, the Archiepiscopal Chapel, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Theoderic, the Basilica of San Vitale, and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe five kilometers south. San Vitale, consecrated in 547, holds the imperial mosaics of Justinian and Theodora in the apse. Dante Alighieri died here in 1321 in exile from Florence and is buried in the small neoclassical tomb beside the Basilica of San Francesco. The municipality stretches to the Adriatic and holds Bandiera Blu beaches at Marina di Ravenna and Punta Marina. Population 155,751.

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Gallery

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Known for

Basilica di San Vitale
Octagonal basilica consecrated 547, holding the imperial mosaics of Justinian and Theodora in the presbytery and apse.
Mausoleo di Galla Placidia
Small fifth-century mausoleum next to San Vitale, vaulted in a starry blue mosaic sky with gold cross and the symbols of the Evangelists.
Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
Sixth-century basilica built by Theoderic as his palace chapel, the nave walls lined with continuous mosaic processions of saints and martyrs.
Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe
Sixth-century basilica five kilometers south at the ancient port of Classe, with a luminous green apse mosaic of the Transfiguration.
Battistero Neoniano
Fifth-century baptistery built by Bishop Neon, with a dome mosaic of the Baptism of Christ encircled by the twelve apostles.
Mausoleo di Teodorico
Early sixth-century Gothic tomb of Theoderic the Great, capped by a single 230-tonne Istrian limestone monolith ten meters across.
Tomba di Dante
Neoclassical tomb of 1781 holding Dante Alighieri's remains; the poet died in Ravenna in 1321 while in exile from Florence.

When to visit

Best months · May–Sep

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

May through September is the working window for Ravenna. The Adriatic warms enough for the beaches at Marina di Ravenna and Punta Marina to fill from late May through August, and the centro storico stays open for the Ravenna Festival in June and July. The mosaics need no weather, but July and August touch thirty-three degrees and the basilica interiors hold their heat. September is the strongest single month: warm light, the harvest in the surrounding farmland, the Romagna Mia festival keeping the town busy through October. November through March is closed-feeling. Coastal fog settles, many beach restaurants shutter, and the city becomes the quiet UNESCO town it always is underneath.