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Ravenna And Its Mosaic Masterpieces

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"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.

image from instagram
image from instagram

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.

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The author

Vy Tran

Vy Tran

Born and raised in Hanoi, I strive to protect my Vietnamese identity while being a global citizen. Let me share with you some of the mysteries of Vietnam, which might make you decide Vietnam is your next destination to discover.

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