I forgot to mention in Monday's post that while at the train station in Termoli, we were subjected to a random document check by two policemen. We both had to present our passports for examination by the officers, one of whom made notes (I gave them both of my passports). I made sure to point out that Paolo's permesso receipt was stuck in the back of his passport, too. I guess everything was in order, as they handed everything back and went on their way. They didn't request to examine our train tickets, or even inquire as to we were going.
We found Ravenna to be a very walkable city; it's easy to get from one end of the centro storico to the other fairly quickly. Most of the historic center is a Limited Traffic Zone (zona traffico limitato or ZTL in Italian), so there are very few cars, motorbikes, and scooters around. We noticed that much of the population seems to get around the town center by bicycle (bicicletta; commonly shortened to bici - bike). Everywhere you look there are either bicycles leaning against buildings, or else signs indicating bikes are not to be parked in a given spot (though it appears that these signs are ignored more often than not).
We managed to pack quite a lot of sightseeing into our Tuesday. After a ho-hum but adequate breakfast at our B&B, we headed out to the Battistero degli Ariani - the Arian Baptistery, which dates from around the end of the 5th century, during the reign of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great.
The baptistery was once part of a larger building, as evinced by the partial remains of exterior arches and other indications. Like many ancient buildings in Ravenna, it's somewhat sunken - Ravenna was quite marshy back in the day
Photo taken while standing in one of the niches
Although mostly empty and undecorated today, the baptistry still retains its gorgeous mosaic ceiling:
Mosaic ceiling
Close-up of the ceiling; the figures in the center circle are the personification of the Jordan River, Jesus, and John the Baptist
You can still see a bit of the original paintings on some of the arches in the windows and the niches
On our way to our next planned stop, we passed the Municipal Tower, which has a decided lean (though my photos don't capture this very well):
We also passed a mosaic workshop that looked really interesting; there was a sign inviting people to come in; we tried to do so, only to find that the shop was closed. Still, we did see some lovely pieces in the courtyard of the workshop:
Not an actual mosaic piece - just the sign that got our attention
Upon reaching our next destination, we discovered that there was another church next to it, so we decided to stop first at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - where we discovered the Madonna dei Tumori - yes, that does translate to "Madonna of the Tumors!"
The Madonna of the Tumors.
Built on the alleged site of the martyrdom of one Saint Vitalis - exactly which one is debatable - the church is famous for its beautiful mosaics. And they did not disappoint (although my photos really don't do them the justice they deserve; if you want to see more - and better - photos, here is a good link):
Looking up into the dome
Even the floors are gorgeous
The bell tower of Santa Maria Maggiore viewed through a flying buttress of the basilica
Honestly, if you ever have the opportunity to go to Ravenna, but only have time to see one thing, make it this Basilica.
The mausoleum
This blue flower pattern is found all over Ravenna, as is the blue and gold one in the above and below photos
Not Galla Placida's sarcophagus
After our visits to these to amazing places, we stopped for caffè at a little place just outside the grounds of the basilica. From our table on the street, we noticed the Annafietta mosaic shop across the way, where mosaic pieces are made on-site. We stopped in and had an opportunity to see some of the artisans at work, as well as to do a little bit of shopping - I say a little bit of shopping because I had to control myself - there were some truly tempting pieces, but the prices were a bit out of my reach (deservedly so). Also, I realized that it would have been extremely difficult to bring the rather large piece I particularly admired with us to the US without risking damage:
Artisans at work with gold leaf
Just a few of the many pieces on display
Our next stop of the day was at the Baptistery of Neon (Battistero Neoniano), an Orthodox baptistry. I observed that although the two baptisteries we visited today were built by different Christian sects, the central ceiling mosaics were remarkably similar.
It's the octagonal building to the right
John the Baptist, Jesus, and the River Jordan, again.
From the Baptistery, we moved next door to the Archiepiscopal Museum (Museo Arcivescovile), which also houses the Chapel of St. Andrew (Capella di Sant'Andrea).
A headless Emperor
Calendar used for calculating the date of Easter
St. Andrew's Chapel
Our final stop of the day was a visit to the Duomo, the Cathedral of the Resurrection. Here, somewhat to my amusement, we found the Madonna of the Sweat (Madonna del Sudore). According to this Wikipedia page, a drunken soldier whacked the icon with his knife, causing it to "sweat" blood (wouldn't that just be "bleeding?"). The people of Ravenna believed that the Sweating Madonna's intercession saved them from plague. It seems there's been no indication whether she will intercede on their behalf as to the current Covid plague.
Many of the churches have audio tours available online or via download/app. Not the duomo - here, they do things Old School-style.
Madonna of the Sweat
No sweat
After all that sightseeing, and taking in all those amazing mosaics, we were quite hungry when dinner time rolled around. This evening, we had a reservation at Osteria il Paiolo. It was a great way to end a wonderful day, despite some wacky glitches when translating the menu; and in spite of our server deciding that I was going to eat something other than what I actually ordered for the second course:
At least it was just the leg...
I couldn't pass up the chance for another bowl of passatelli
Not what I ordered; she decided I would like this better. Perhaps, but she could have asked first!
Come to think of it, she chose our dessert too - and we had to share!
