Italy – Ravenna (En)
We went to Ravenna because we could park in the centre and explore the city on foot. We knew it had a basilica and other remarkable buildings, but we didn’t know that Dante’s tomb was there, nor that it had so many UNESCO World Heritage sites. We spent several hours wandering around the city, and it was well worth it; it’s breathtaking.
Where to stay
We stayed at the motorhome area in Resistance Square (44.414194, 12.188558 lat, long), which costs €6 per day. Opposite the area is the water filling and emptying station. You pay at the machines and choose how many days you want to stay. There are food stalls, public restrooms, and trash cans in the square. We didn’t use any of the facilities. The area is simply a parking lot, so you can’t put out chairs, etc. The good thing about the location is that the city centre and the Basilica are about a 10-minute walk away. There’s a market in the parking lot on Thursdays at midday, and a Lidl supermarket is a 10-minute walk away. I recommend it for visiting this amazing city.
What to see
We walked through a park until we reached the square where the Basilica or Cathedral of Ravenna is located, famous for its intricate golden mosaics, altarpieces and impressive works of Byzantine art from the 5th and 6th centuries.
Located next to Ravenna Cathedral, the Neonian Baptistery, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, is one of the oldest monuments in the city. It probably dates back to the early 5th century. We didn’t pay to enter and see its incredible mosaics.
Then we passed through a square where the House of the War Wounded is located, and afterwards we went inside to see the 18th-century Church of Saint Eufemia, with paintings and decorations from that time.
We toured the old town, where we saw the beautiful archways leading into the old part of the city.
From there, we made our way to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia with its star-studded dome, the National Museum, and the Basilica of St. Vitale. There’s a ticket office to buy tickets. We only saw them from the outside, except for the Church of St. Mary Maggiore, which we were able to see inside.
We returned to the old town to the market, with some really great restaurants and stalls.
Another highlight is a square with two pillars topped by statues and surrounded by bars and restaurants. There’s also a statue of Garibaldi and the Church of St. Mary Suffrage, which was our favourite.
The last thing we saw was Dante’s tomb. Ravenna is the final resting place of Dante Alighieri, the “father of the Italian language.” You can see the tomb; it’s in a kind of mausoleum, and around it is a square with a small garden and statues, including a really cool one of the devil.
In the afternoon, we explored the area around the parking lot, where we discovered a monastery and a very cool fountain.
Our next stop is Cesenatico, a charming and authentic coastal town on the Adriatic, famous for its historic canal port designed by Leonardo da Vinci, which you can see in the next blog post.
