Italy 2018 - San Marino - Ravenna

Mausoleum di Galla Placidia

20 June 2018: leaving our room in Gradara and driving to Ravenna with a stop at the Republic of San Marino, which is situated on a rock. 

Not much to see there, besides a nice view, a lot of tourist from all over the world (Chinese, Russians and a lot of Italians), who buy perfumes, watches, expensive bags and perfumes, all articles are cheaper here than in Italy coz of the lower tax in San Marino.

what people do in San Marino

buying goodies: these are mine 👍

Arriving in our home for the next 2 nights. A lovely, tastefully decorated and spacious apartment at the south west side of the historic centre of Ravenna. 
Let me show you a few photos of Open Space Martina apartment.

We decided to visit this afternoon only 2 of the major points of interest in Ravenna; the Basilica di San Vitale and the Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, otherwise we were afraid to get overloaded with too much artworks.

Here are some photos of both sites,starting with the Basicila di San Vitale, which dates back to 548 AD and which is one of the most important monuments of the early Christian art. The eastern influence has a dominant role. The mosaic decorations of the aps with the extraordinary representation of the Byzantine imperial couple Justinian and Theodora are impressive (text from Wikipedia):

the outside

Jesus Christ seated on a blue globe in the summit of the vault, robed in purple, flanked by two angels, with his right hand offering the martyr's crown to Saint Vitale. On the left, Bishop Ecclesius offers a model of the church.

Panel showing Empress Theodora solemn and formal, with golden halo, crown and jewels, and a group of court women as well as eunuchs. The Empress holds the Eucharistic vessel for wine, and her panel differs from that of Justinian in having a more complex background, with a fountain, cupola, and lavish hangings.

Mosaic depicting the East Roman Emperor Justinian I, clad in Tyrian purple with a golden halo, standing next to court officials, Bishop Maximian, palatinae guards and deacons. The halo around his head gives him the same aspect as Christ in the dome of the apse, but is part of the tradition of rendering the imperial family with haloes. Justinian himself stands in the middle, with soldiers on his right and clergy on his left, emphasizing that Justinian is the leader of both church and state of his empire. The later insertion of the Bishop Maximian's name above his head suggests that the mosaic may have been modified in 547, replacing the representation of the prior bishop with that of the Maximian.

mosaic floor

Next building we visited is the small but impressive Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

It is unknown what the building was intended for when it was built. The most common story is that the structure was built by Galla Placidia, who was a well-known patron of the arts, to be used as a mausoleum for her and her family. There seems to be no evidence to prove or disprove Galla’s connection to the building.

The lunette over the south wall is thought to depict St. Lawrence standing next to a flaming gridiron. On the opposite side of the gridiron a bookcase is shown with four books, each inscribed with the name of an evangelist.

The lunette over the north entrance shows a mosaic of Christ as the Good Shepherd tending his flocks. He holds an imperial staff joined to the Christian cross, symbolizing the combined earthly and heavenly domains.

We had gotten thirsty after all this art and had drinks at a relaxing terrace (music by Ella F.). Afterwards we strolled the city and had dinner at a nice restaurant. It's still very warm in the city. 

prosciutto crudo with and without melone

Piazza di Poppolo Ravenna (passing by on our way home)

The airco worked well and our home is cool. We had drinks on our roof terrace, but fled inside after a while to write this blog post, write a message to our host asking for info about bike renting AND enjoy the coolness 😉

Tomorrow we hopefully will find rental bikes to cycle the city.
More mosaics to admire.