Ravenna is a city of art and culture, of mosaics, and ancient city which 1,500 years ago was capital three times: of the western Roman Empire, of Theodoric King of the Goths, of the Byzantine Empire in Europe. The magnificence of that period has left Ravenna with a great heritage of Monuments, religious buildings decorated with mosaics which have been declared patrimony of humanity by UNESCO. The art of mosaics was not born in Ravenna but it did find its greatest level of expression here where Christian iconology was born, a mixture of symbolism and realism, of Roman and Byzantine influence. Here a Latin hexameter on the walls of the Archbishop's chapel reads: Aut lux hic nata est aut capta hic libera regnat… in other words "Or light born here or imprisoned here, reigns free". The beauty of the mosaics and harmony of the architecture are not the only features. In Ravenna you can stroll among bell-towers and monastic cloisters, the frescoes in Giotto style of Santa Chiara to the baroque apse of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Ravenna is roman, gothic, byzantine and also medieval, venetian and finally modern and contemporary, civilised and hospitable, full of events and shows of international prestige. The Church of Ss. Nazarius and Celsus, thought to have been the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a small, sober building, laid out in the shape of a Latin cross. This completely hides the riches contained within: the Christian mosaics represent the victory of life over death. The Catholic Baptistery, dedicated by Archbishop Neon (449-52), is sometimes called the Orthodox Baptistery, to distinguish it from the Arian one ordered by Theodoric, king of the Goths. The marbles of the socle seem to have been taken from secular buildings, and these added to the splendour of stuccoes, and the mosaics of the cupola. During the high point of Gothic rule during the 4th century, the Arian Baptistery came about. Its layout is an octagon, with a cupola decorated by a mosaic depicting the Baptism of Our Lord, Whom the Arian Gnostics denied was the Son of God. Location : Ravenna ItalyDistance from Hotel City - Milano Marittima : 24 km / 00h30
