"I have never seen such magical mosaics in my life." That was my first thought while visiting Ravenna, a city in the region Emilia-Romagna of Italy.
Ravenna is an easy day trip from Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region. From Bologna, it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes on the train to reach Ravenna. The city is most famous for its colorful and elegant mosaic art.
Five locations which have the best mosaics are Archiepiscopal Museum (Chapel of Sant’Andrea and the Ivory Throne), Neonian Baptistery, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Basilica of San Vitale, and Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. You can buy a ticket which is valid for all of these monuments for 7 days, and it costs 9.50 euros (reduced price: 8.50 euros). You can check for opening hours here.
Among those places, I was most impressed with the interior of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, which felt like a magical world. UNESCO experts described it as “the earliest and best preserved of all mosaic monuments, and at the same time one of the most artistically perfect.” I was blown away by the sparkling and sacred beauty of this place.
To learn more about the mosaics in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, check out this engaging video from the Khan Academy:
Apart from the five main monuments, you still have time to visit the tomb of Dante Alighieri (yes, the renowned poet was buried in Ravenna), Battistero degli Ariani (a UNESCO-listed church with mosaics), and Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra (a Roman archaeological site full of mosaic decorations), all of which I highly recommend.
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
Via San Vitale, 17, 48121 Ravenna RA, ItalyBasilica of St. Apollinaire Nuovo Ravena
Via Romea Sud, 224, 48124 Classe RA, ItalieBasilica of San Vitale
Via San Vitale, 17, 48121 Ravenna RA, ItalieMuseo Arcivescovile
Piazza Arcivescovado, 1, 48121 Ravenna RA, ItalieBattistero Neoniano
Piazza Duomo, 1, 48121 Ravenna RA, ItalieMuseo Arcivescovile di Ravenna
Piazza Arcivescovado 1, 48121 Ravenna, ItalyWant to plan a trip here? Talk to AI travel assistant Maya.
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Vy Tran
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