Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Un Giorno a Ravenna

     Last Friday, a few friends and I took a day trip to Ravenna. We started off the day by taking a leisurely stroll across the city, stopping by a few churches and even paying a visit to Dante's tomb! We were able to buy a pass that got us into five different churches/baptistries which all had stunning mosaics that covered the ceilings. The Basilica of San Vitale had to be my favorite. The outside architecture is first of all, absolutely stunning. Completed in A.D. 527, it resembles that of an old medieval castle. Inside, the entire ceiling up at the alter is covered in these gorgeous, detailed mosaics. We visited another church and a few baptistries that were also covered in mosaics. In addition, our pass also got us into a museum that had several gorgeous paintings, mosaic pieces, and old artifacts from the time period of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Mosaics of the Basilica of San Vitale


Outside of San Vitale
                                           
Inside Dante's tomb

More mosaics from one of the baptistries.


     Right now, it is the last week before fall break, which will mark the midpoint of this semester. Tomorrow I have an Italian quiz as well as a paper due, which I need to finish. A friend and I are leaving for Greece on Friday. We will go to Milan Thursday night by train, spend the night in a hostel,  and arrive at the airport by bus the next morning. I'm looking forward to Greece! I will write all about it when I return!



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