Map in hand I set off for Theodoric’s Mausoleum just a short distance out of town and in close proximity to what remains of the castle Rocca Brancaleone. Theodoric left Constantinople in 473 with an army to overthrow the then king of “Italy” Odacer and after a siege lasting three years succeeded. By all accounts he was an enlightened and much loved ruler who presided over great public works and encouraged the arts.
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| the porphyry bath |
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| Upper story detail |
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| Theodoric's Mausoleum |
Set in a large park, and unlike other monuments in Ravenna the mausoleum is constructed of huge slabs of stone with a massive stone roof made from a single block. One wonders how it was placed in situ! Both upper and lower inside spaces are free of decoration other a stone frieze but the upper chamber contains a porphyry sarcophagus, which may have been Theodoric’s final resting place.
On the way back I took the little bridge into the castle area and discovered a park for children there. A little boy under the watchful and loving eye of his mother was chasing pigeons and then falling over but each time picked himself up and resumed the chase. I sat and observed for a while thinking of my own grandchildren and their antics.
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| the castle |
Once back in town I made my way to the massive San Appollinare Nuovo where one can see two distinct artistic styles; the hellenistic and roman, characterized by movement, emotion and landscape motifs, while post Theodoric mosaics are more static and flat. Astonishingly beautiful both in overall impression and in fine detail it is difficult to overstate the impact on the viewer, particularly of the earlier mosaics.
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| Theodoric's Palace |
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| The three wise men- movement and emotion! |
The Baptistry of Ariani , built by Theodoric in the late 5C, celebrates the sect of Arianism the official religion of the state until the death of Theodoric after which Catholicism returned. Most of the mosaics have been lost over the years and only the dome remains with its representation of the baptism of Christ, quite similar in style to the mosaics on the same subject in the Neonian Batistry. The system for entry is quaint with tickets dispensed from a machine like a parking ticket dispenser but in attendance as well is a person who shows one how to operate the machine and another who then relieves them of the purchased ticket!
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| Dome, Baptistry of Ariani |
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| Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River |
By now I was overwhelmed and returned to sit in the lovely garden of my B&B with a proscuito, tomato and mozarella piadina- the local street food of Emilia Romagna; a sort of sandwich made with a grilled flat bread. It was also a good opportunity to plan the afternoon activities, particularly the visit to San Appollinare in Classe, eight kilometres out of the town towards the Atlantic coast and the last of the eight Unesco sites to be visited.
Rather than bother with the car I took a local bus which stopped conveniently near the entrance to the Basilica. On the flat green flood plain the red brick church rises high beckoning the visitor with its magnificent round bell tower.
The interior is spacious and magnificent but the mosaics in the apse immediately draw the eye with their glittering glory. Starry red skies, lambs representing the apostles and the hand of god, simple yet powerfully present. I sat and looked, for an age as only images in the mind can recall the wonder!
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| Interior San Apollinare in Classe |
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| interior Sant Appolinare in Classe |
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| The hand of god |
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| bird with bible? |
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| The saint himself |
Returning to Ravenna and with little day-time left, I visited the fabulous Stone Carpets,accidentally discoveredin the remains of a Byzantine palace during building excavation works in the 90s. The fourteen rooms paved with inlaid marble and mosaic in geometric and figurative design date to the 2&3 AC depicting dancing revelers, shepherds, musicians , fruit and vases. Clearly a good time to be alive!
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Carpet of
stones Musician |
The excellent restaurant I Furanti is a short walk from the B&B, which is where I enjoyed my final evening in Ravenna. As I hadn’t booked there was only space available inside, which was attractively decorated in a mosaic theme. I ordered melon and prosciutto and pizza, very delicious but far too much. Two daus in Ravenna is really not sufficient to really immerse yourself in the wonders of this stunning city and I certainly plan to return
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