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Ravenna Culture & history

Our most recommended Ravenna Culture & history

Ravenna: UNESCO Monuments and Mosaics Guided Tour

1. Ravenna: UNESCO Monuments and Mosaics Guided Tour

Marvel at the world-famous mosaics of Ravenna on a guided tour and learn all about their rich history. Enjoy tickets to 4 outstanding local landmarks and explore them in the company of an expert. Experience the best of the city in just one day with this insightful adventure. Starting from the convenient meeting point in Piazza San Francesco, journey through the streets of the city center with your guide to experience four incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of San Vitale, the Neonian Baptistery. You will have the opportunity to visit: The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo: originally used as a Palatine Church of Arianism, today it allows us to reconstruct the evolution of Byzantine wall mosaics from the age of Theodoric to that of Justinian. The Basilica of San Vitale: one of the most important monuments of early Christian art in Italy. When you enter the basilica, your gaze is captured by the high spaces, the wonderful mosaic decorations of the apse and the extraordinary representation of the imperial couple of Byzantium: Justinian and Theodora, with their procession. The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia: it was built around the middle of the 5th century, at the behest of Galla Placidia, who ruled the Western Roman Empire. The innumerable stars of the dome have struck the imagination and sensitivity of visitors over the centuries, and of outstanding personalities such as the great poet Dante Alighieri, who drew inspiration from them for the writing of some verses of the Divine Comedy. The Neonian Baptistery: one of the oldest monuments of the city, made of simple brick on the outside but rich in marble, stucco, and mosaics of clear Hellenistic-Roman influence inside. At the end of the tour the guide will accompany you to the entrance of the Archbishop’s Museum, so that you can visit it independently, each according to their interests and timing. Inside, in addition to many archaeological finds and works of art, is kept the last of the 5 UNESCO monuments included in the ticket, the Chapel of Saint Andrew, which with its depiction of the glorification of Christ is the only example of early Christian archiepiscopal chapel still intact to this day.

From Bologna: Ravenna Unesco Monuments Guided Tour

2. From Bologna: Ravenna Unesco Monuments Guided Tour

The site is of outstanding universal value being of remarkable significance by virtue of the supreme artistry of the mosaic art that the monuments contain, and also because of the crucial evidence that they provide of artistic and religious relationships and contacts at an important period of European cultural history. In this way the Unesco World Heritage motivated why eight monuments of Ravenna had been added to the World Heritage List. The eternal beauty of the mosaics guarded inside some of the most famous Ravenna Unesco monuments, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Mausoleo di Galla Placidia, Basilica of San Vitale, Battistero Neoniano and Chapel of Sant'Andrea. The visit that starts from Piazza San Francesco, into the city centre, and leads you to several Unesco monuments.

Ravenna: Private Walking Tour With Mosaics

3. Ravenna: Private Walking Tour With Mosaics

Discover Ravenna and visit the most significant monuments of the city on a walking tour. Join your private guide on a gentle stroll through ancient streets and learn about their rich history. Admire the early Christian and Byzantine mosaics, with tickets included. Meet your guide to explore what was the capital of the Western Roman Empire between the 5th and 8th centuries. Travel through local history, from the days of the Roman Empire to the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, and finally, to the Byzantine Exarchate. Come across the traces of this intricate past, gathered in the splendid early Christian buildings and UNESCO monuments. Access the world-famous mosaics and marvel at their incredible designs. Gaze at the majestic Basilica of San Apollinare.

Ravenna: Dante Alighieri's Lifetime & Landmarks Walking Tour

4. Ravenna: Dante Alighieri's Lifetime & Landmarks Walking Tour

Ravenna is the last shelter of Dante, the father of the italian language, and it is the city that hosts his grave which is the starting point of our tour. Retrace the traces left by the Supreme Poet in Ravenna during the fourteenth century and all the following years, visiting not only his tomb, but also the Basilica of San Francesco that hosted his solemn funerals on September 13th, 1321 and walking aroud the city center to discover Dante Alighieri’s adventures in his last years, the exile, the life in the city, the death and the struggling dispute for his remains, as well as the enhancements of the sepulchre over the centuries.

Ravenna: Private Full-Day History and Mosaics Tour

5. Ravenna: Private Full-Day History and Mosaics Tour

Discover the Roman and Byzantine treasures of Ravenna with a private guide, including some of its 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. See stunning mosaics at the Basilica of San Vitale and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, said to be the best-preserved of all mosaic monuments. Benefit from the expert knowledge of your guide, and the chance to break for lunch at your own expense. Visit the octagonal Baptistery of Neon, where a ceiling mosaic depicts John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Look at early Christian relics in the Archiepiscopal Museum, and marvel at the 6th-century palace chapel of King Theodoric the Great at the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo. Stroll the historic streets of the old town to arrive at the pretty Piazza del Popolo, and follow in the footsteps of Dante to discover areas where the poet lived after his exile from Florence. Get a beautiful view of the Basilica of San Francesco, where his funeral was held in 1321.

Ravenna: Highlights Private Walking Tour with Entry Tickets

6. Ravenna: Highlights Private Walking Tour with Entry Tickets

Although it is a town like many others in Italy, Ravenna boasts a very important artistic heritage, cultural richness, and historical roots. A visit could not possibly exclude the discovery of its most important treasures. Literally, Ravenna is a place that must be seen a piece by piece. And it could not be otherwise, given the number of mosaics (famously made of pieces) that this locality preserves. With this activity, accompanied by a 100% local guide you will go around the city streets discovering all its important historical vicissitudes that mix distant eras, Empires, Barbarian poets, and great stories of conquests and conspiracies. You won't have to think about anything as admission to major monuments such as the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo, and others will already be booked for you. But 3 hours is by no means enough to discover all the beauty of the city and since the tour gives you access to many other monuments in the city therefore you can continue to explore the city even after the guided tour is over.

Other Sightseeing Options in Ravenna

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What people are saying about Ravenna

Overall rating

5.0 / 5

based on 5 reviews

Very pleased we chose to take the tour rather than self guide. We had Marta, the guide, to ourselves and she was very engaging and enthusiastic to share her knowledge of the wonderful history and treasures of Ravenna. Thoroughly recommend. Easy booking process and friendly staff.

Una visita guidata Top ! La nostra guida era preparatissima , molto cordiale e appassionata del suo lavoro . Ci ha fatto conoscere le bellezze di Ravenna nelle tre ore previste che sono volate ! Ottima organizzazione e grazie di cuore

The tour was awesome. Marta, the tour guide, was great and very knowledgeable. We were in Ravenna for just one day and the tour was perfect - we not only had a history lesson of the city but also the Roman empire.

Marta was an excellent guide. The mosaics are incredible - and somewhat overwhelming- to see. Understanding the symbolism contained within them makes one appreciate them all the more. Highly Recommend!

Excellent guide with great knowledge and enthusiasm