You are not currently logged in.

Travel Guides

Ravenna Travel Guide

Travel to Ravenna -

Ratings:: 4 out of 5 (3 votes)

Reviews:: Be the first to write a review

Ravenna is quite simply a treasure chest of art, history and culture, a city with ancient origins and a glorious past, three-times a capital, of the Western Roman Empire, of King Theodoric of the Goths and of the Byzantine Empire in Europe.

Replete with museums, basilicas and baptisteries the city also contains the richest heritage of mosaics dating from the 5th and 6th centuries together with 8 historic buildings afforded UNESCO World Heritage status.

The winding streets of Ravenna reveal the past of a city built on a lagoon, the presence of water in the canals that cross it, closed during the period of Venetian rule and at the end of the 15th century opening the elegant space of Piazza Maggiore, now known as Piazza del Popolo. In the 18th century the city was connected to the sea by a navigable canal, the current port, which the people of Ravenna called the Candiano. The Corsini Canal allowed the city to rediscover its heritage as a port.

Attractions in Ravenna

The cultural offerings of Ravenna are abundant and varied. 8 early Christian monuments of Ravenna are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and these are, Neonian Baptistery, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Arian Baptistry, Archiepiscopal Chapel, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Basilica of San Vitale,
Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe.

Other tourist attractions include the City Art Museum of Ravenna, the National Museum exhibits a variety of collections, including finds from excavations of Roman and Byzantine remains; the Archiepiscopal Museum includes the Chapel of Saint Andrew whilst the Dante Museum holds relics connected with the cult and fame of the poet. Lying just a short distance from the sea, Ravenna also offers nine seaside resort areas along a 35 km of coast. There are many cycle tracks along which it is possible to cycle to any part of the city and then attractions such as the Planetarium, the Garden of Forgotten Herbs, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.

Finally for lovers of nature a visit to the reserve of Punte Alberete with its silent swamped forests providing shelter for rare bird species is a must as are the historic pine woods of San Vitale and Classe.