Ravenna is a city in northern Italy located some 45 miles (72km) east-southeast of Bologna. It is the capital of the Ravenna province. It was a Roman naval base in the 1st century BC, and the capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. Ravenna came under papal rule from the 16th to the 19th century. In 1860, it became part of the Kingdom of Italy.
Ravenna is noted for its outstanding Roman and Byzantine remains, particularly the mosaics in the churches of the 5th and 5th centuries AD. As well as tourism, the city’s industries include petroleum, furniture, cement, fertilisers and sugar refining. The population of Ravenna is just under 160,000. Eight early Christian monuments of Ravenna are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These are the Orthodox Baptistery/Baptistery of Neon (c. 430), the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (c. 430), the Arian Baptistery (c. 500), the Archiepiscopal Chapel (c. 500), the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (c. 500), the Mausoleum of Theoderic (520), the Basilica of San Vitale (548) and the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe (549). Other sites of note include the Church of St. John the Evangelist, the 6th-century church of the Spirito Santo, the St. Francis basilica, various other religious buildings, galleries and museums, such as the National Museum and the Archiepiscopal Museum. Not too far from the central tourist office is located Dante's tomb, which was built in 1780. For those interested in visiting the UNESCO World Heritage sites, a single ticket can be purchased to cover five main attractions, including the museum. Some photographs taken from a visit to Ravenna in the summer of 2018 can be viewed in the thumbnail gallery below (click on an image to enlarge):
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