Ravenna

Ravenna, Italy

Vintage bicycles leaning against a stone bench on Piazza del Popolo in Ravenna during golden hour light.

Ravenna holds a set of early Christian and Byzantine buildings whose interiors glitter with mosaic, in a calm, flat, bike-friendly Italian town.

The place

Ravenna is a provincial capital in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, on flat ground about 4 m above sea level and a short distance inland from the Adriatic. About 156,000 people live in the municipality, which reaches well beyond the old centre to take in farmland, port installations and beach resorts such as Marina di Ravenna. The historic core is compact and unhurried, a place of brick façades, pedestrian lanes and a great many bicycles, and the main monuments sit within a few minutes' walk of each other. What sets the city apart is its group of early Christian churches, baptisteries and tombs, plain brick outside and lined inside with mosaics of gold, green and deep blue glass. Most date from the fifth and sixth centuries, when Ravenna was a seat of imperial power. Away from the monuments the town feels like a working Italian provincial city rather than a museum: students, cafés on the main square, a covered central market and a port that still handles ships. Many visitors come for the day from Bologna or the Adriatic coast, so the churches are busiest late in the morning and the evenings are quiet. The landscape explains much of the history. The city began as houses on piles among marshes, later gained a harbour, and became a defensible refuge for rulers who needed one. Today the water has retreated, and the sea is a short bus or car ride away.

Its story

Ravenna's story begins in a lagoon. Early settlers, among them the Umbri, built houses on piles on small islands in the marsh, a arrangement that Venice would repeat centuries later. Rome accepted the town as a federated ally in 89 BC, and in 49 BC Julius Caesar gathered his forces here before crossing the Rubicon. Octavian later built the military harbour of Classis nearby, and the port kept the city useful long afterwards. The decisive change came in 401, when the emperor Honorius moved his court here from Milan. Marshes and walls made Ravenna easy to defend, and it stayed the capital of the Western Empire for most of that century. When the empire fell in 476, the city did not fade. It became the seat of Odoacer, then of the Ostrogoth king Theodoric, who left behind a mausoleum and an Arian baptistery. In 540 the Byzantine general Belisarius took Ravenna, and it became the centre of Byzantine rule in Italy. Much of what visitors admire now, including San Vitale, dated to 547, comes from that Ostrogothic and Byzantine moment, when rulers wanted churches that expressed both faith and authority. Later centuries brought the Venetians and the Papal States, and Ravenna settled into quieter provincial life, which is part of the reason its early buildings were never swept away by rebuilding. Even the name is unsettled: some link it to the Etruscan word for themselves, but scholars have not agreed.

What to see

Culture

Ravenna's culture rests on two things: the memory of an imperial and Byzantine past, and the easygoing habits of Romagna, the eastern half of Emilia-Romagna. Locals are proud of the mosaics, and mosaic-making is still a living craft, with studios and training where artists cut and set pieces of glass and stone. The poet Dante spent his last years here and is buried in the city, and his tomb near the centre is a quiet place of civic pilgrimage. Daily life runs on bicycles, long lunches and an evening stroll around the main square. The city hosts music and theatre events, including a summer festival, so check the official site for dates. Religion remains visible. The early churches are monuments but also places of worship, so services take priority over sightseeing. Romagnol dialect is still heard among older residents, and a few words of Italian, such as buongiorno, grazie and per favore, are well received. Pace matters. Smaller shops close for part of the afternoon, restaurants fill later than in the UK, and Sundays are slow. Visitors who accept that rhythm get far more from the place. Cover your shoulders and knees inside the basilicas and mausoleums, keep your voice low, and never use flash near the mosaics.

What to wear

In Ravenna and the wider Romagna, no single costume is still worn on the street. The best-known traditional textile is rust-printed cloth, tela stampata a ruggine, in which wooden blocks stamp patterns such as vines, birds and wheat onto linen or hemp using iron-oxide dye. It appears on tablecloths, aprons and cushions and is sold in craft shops. Older rural dress, with aprons, headscarves and waistcoats, now turns up mainly at folk festivals and in museums. Everyday wear today is smart-casual and fairly muted: jeans or tailored trousers, linen shirts and light dresses in summer, wool coats and scarves in the damp winter months, and sensible shoes because so many people walk or cycle. Locals dress a little neatly even for the market. A visitor should pack for the season and for churches. Shoulders and knees need to be covered in the basilicas and mausoleums, so carry a light scarf or overshirt in summer. Comfortable flat shoes matter, as the old centre has cobbles and uneven paving. In July and August the plain is hot and humid, so choose breathable fabrics, a hat and sun protection. In winter bring a waterproof layer and warm socks. A small umbrella is useful in any season.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April–May and September–October, when the days are mild and the churches are less crowded. July and August are hot and humid on the plain and the coast is busy, while winter can be damp and foggy, though the mosaics look as good as ever indoors.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Bologna airport is about 80 km away, with a seasonal CRAB shuttle bus to Ravenna; Rimini airport is the other nearby option, and Forlì airport should be checked for current flights. Trains link Ravenna with Bologna and the Adriatic coast, so check the national rail site for times. By car, the A14 and A14D lead to Ravenna, and the last stretch is clearly signposted to the centre. Ravenna's old centre is small enough to cover on foot.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources