Sept 05 - Ravenna

 Sept 05 - Ravenna

Not quite a day-trip but our first visit was an out of town trip to see the Basilica Di Sant’Apollinare in Classe, a town about 5k away.  Like the other Byzantine examples in Ravenna the exterior of this huge 6th century church seriously contrasts with the mosaics on the inside.  Although the sheer size of the building, consecrated in 559 AD, is breathtaking, it’s difficult to comprehend how this place was designed and built so long ago, the interior is just amazing.  On entry you’re struck by the colossal reach of the columns, brought all the way from Constantinople apparently, and the span of the enormous beams in the roof leaving you to wonder how this was achieved over 1,500 years ago.  Then there are the mosaics in the apse, the colours are stunning, the green of the pasture especially which seems to be unusual with what we’ve seen recently.  This all contrasts with the walls, which are all just plain brick now but at one point had been covered with marble, all since nicked for other more ‘important’ projects. 

A bit of a change from other sights we’ve seen recently our next visit was to the Mausoleo di Teodorico (Theodorics tomb).  While it’s a UNESCO site, and the only surviving mausoleum of a Gothic king, poor old Theodoric’s final resting place really is a bit ho-hum. Over the last 1500 years the sight has been thoroughly pillaged and any adornments are long since gone.  There still remains a sarcophagus, thought to belong to Theodoric, and the structure itself is still in one piece, the roof was carved from one piece of stone and thought to be about 230 tons in weight, but that’s about it.