RAVENNA

Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the Province of Ravenna. It lies on the south bank of the Lamone River near its delta, close to the Adriatic Sea. The city is renowned for its late antique and medieval mosaics and monuments, many of which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna, designated in 1996.

Historically, Ravenna emerged as a major port and imperial residence in late antiquity. It was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 to 476, later the center of the Ostrogothic Kingdom under Theodoric the Great, and then the seat of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the 8th century. It subsequently became part of the Papal States until Italian unification.

Key monuments include San Vitale with its gold and colored mosaics, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, and the Baptistery of Neon. Theodoric’s Mausoleum and the tomb of Dante Alighieri, who died in Ravenna in 1321, are also notable. The city’s Archiepiscopal Museum and MAR national museums house mosaics and medieval art.

Ravenna remains a cultural and tourist center, hosting the annual Ravenna Festival of music and performing arts. Its economy combines tourism, services and port activity. The city is connected by rail and road to Bologna, Rimini, and other centers, and hosts a campus of the University of Bologna.