Ravenna: mosaics and Dante's tomb

February 19

I left Parma and headed to Ravenna. Since this city had been a last minute addition to my trip, I hadn’t done much research. When I drove into town, I had no idea what to expect.  I knew it was where Dante Alighieri was buried, but otherwise, it was just a city on a map to me.

Ravenna is on the east coast of Italy, south of Venice. 

This is the birthplace of mosaic art and artists still practice the art form today. As I explored Ravenna, I learned a ton about the mosaic art form. I visited several artist workshops and talked the artisans. I learned that mosaic art in Ravenna falls into two categories. Each piece is either an original work of art designed by the artist, or an attempt to recreate (in whole or in part) a mosaic that was historically displayed in a church, crypt or bascilica,

I was able to see a few exceptional examples of historical mosaic art. First was the amazing San Vitale Bascilica.  It was started in 526 A.D. and finished in 547 A.D.. 

Once inside, I couldn't take my eyes off of the apse in the presbytery. All of the walls are covered in mosaic art. It was stunning.

To the right and left of the main altar were chapels... the brilliant blue and green mosaics were spectacular!

Once I finally tore my eyes away from the walls and the ceiling, I noticed the floor. The entire floor was covered in white marble mosaic. To be in a space so large and see millions and millions of pieces of marble laid perfectly was awe inspiring. Keep in mind, this was done in the 526 AD... there was no automation, no tiles on mesh backers...each piece was painstakingly laid by hand.

Behind the San Vitale bascilica is a mausoleum of Galla Placidia, who died in 452 A.D. She was the sister of the Roman emperor Honorius and asked to be buried here.  The mausoleum is gorgeous and decorated in primarily blue glass.  

The ceiling is covered in 570 gold stars!

Nowadays, if an artist designs an original piece, there are no rules. But, if an artist is replicating a historical or already created mosaic like those I saw in San Vitale, they take great care to do so properly.  If they’re recreating a floor mosaic, they’d use marble (primarily white) and the mosaic tiles would be placed at the same depth so the piece is flat, just as it would be on the floor.  If the artist is replicating a wall mosaic, they’d use glass tiles and the surface would have slight variances with regards to depth of the tiles. The softly undulating surface makes the glass tiles shimmer.  With gold glass tiles, real gold leaf is pressed between two pieces of glass. This explains why even 800 years after it was installed, the gold mosaic high up in the apse of the church still shimmered.  

I loved learning about mosaics! But Ravenna has alot more to offer than just mosaic art. Ravenna is also where famous poet Dante Alighieri lived, wrote The Divine Comedy and died in 1321.

Now, Dante was exiled from Florence during his life because of his political beliefs and affiliations.  But after his death and due to his fame, Florence has begged, pleaded and cajoled with Ravenna to return his remains to Florence.  Ravenna has always said no and reminded the city of Florence that they didn't want him in life, so they cannot have him in death. The two cities have been locked in a fight for centuries.  Popes have ordered his remains exhumed and returned to Florence, but when they tried to find Dante's body, they found nothing but an empty crypt.  Even as recently as the 1970s, Florence once again demanded his remains be returned and Ravenna answered simply "no." (I'm on Ravenna's side!)

His tomb is small but beautiful.  

A small oil lamp is hanging up. It burns 24/7 with expensive oil donated by the city of Florence, as penance for (poor) their treatment of it's most famous son.

And lastly, I have to mention Ravenna's leaning tower.  I know, I know, it's not Pisa, but it's a serious leaning tower, too! The Civic Tower (Torre Civico) is in the heart of Ravenna, built around 1,000 and one of the only towers not destroyed over the years. The top 6 floors has to be removed to avoid collapse, but you can still tell the structure is leaning significantly!

Ravenna is a sleepy little town but makes for an enjoyable visit. I enjoyed strolling around, looking at art, learning about mosaics and visiting museums.

Next up… I tackle another tiny country on my tour… San Marino!

Ciao!