Ravenne

Ravenne, known in Italian as Ravenna, is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and the capital of the Province of Ravenna. It lies on the Adriatic coast at the mouth of the Candiano River and has a population in the low hundreds of thousands. The city is renowned for its late antique and Byzantine mosaics, which contribute to its reputation as a center of Christian art and a historic port.

Ravenne developed as a prominent Roman port and commercial hub. It served as the capital of the Western Roman Empire in the early 5th century and later became a key Byzantine enclave in Italy. Its political and religious significance fostered a rich artistic heritage that endured into the Middle Ages.

The historic center preserves an ensemble of early Christian monuments that are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including the Basilica of San Vitale, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo. The Archiepiscopal Museum houses mosaics and artifacts from Ravenne’s religious institutions. Dante Alighieri spent his final years in Ravenne and is buried there, with a memorial near the Church of San Francesco.

Geographically, Ravenne sits on a flat Adriatic coastal plain with a temperate climate that features hot summers and mild, wet winters. The surrounding area supports agriculture and light industry. Today the economy combines tourism, services, and manufacturing. The city is served by rail connections to Bologna and Rimini and is accessible via the A14 motorway; the nearest international airport is Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport. Cultural life includes events such as the Ravenna Festival, which hosts music and performing arts in the summer.