Ravenna: Guide to the Eight UNESCO Monuments

Ravenna is about 75 km east of Bologna — roughly an hour by direct train — and contains eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all within walking distance of each other in the city centre. The city was the capital of the Western Roman Empire in its final decades (402–476 AD), then the seat of the Ostrogothic Kingdom under Theodoric, then a Byzantine exarchate. Each layer left monumental buildings, and the mosaics from the 5th and 6th centuries are among the finest surviving examples of early Christian and Byzantine art in the world. Ravenna rewards a full day as a day trip from Bologna rather than a half.

The Mosaics

The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (c. 430 AD) is the oldest and most atmospheric: a small room whose mosaic ceiling is extraordinary — a deep blue ground studded with gold stars. The quality of the tesserae and survival of colour after 1,600 years make it one of the most affecting rooms in Italy.

The Basilica di San Vitale (consecrated 547 AD) contains the famous apse mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora — the most important surviving portraits of the Byzantine imperial family. Sant’Apollinare Nuovo has two long processional friezes of martyrs from the early 6th century. Sant’Apollinare in Classe, 5 km outside the city near the ancient port, has a magnificent apse mosaic worth the detour if you have time.

The City Centre and Dante

The historic centre is compact and pleasant. Dante Alighieri died in Ravenna in 1321 and is buried here in a small neoclassical tomb near the Basilica di San Francesco. The Pineta di Classe — the ancient pine forest south of the city that Dante described in the Divina Commedia — is worth a short drive after the mosaics.

Comacchio and the Po Delta

Comacchio, about 30 km north of Ravenna, is a fishing town built on islands connected by bridges and the centre of the Valli di Comacchio wetlands, part of the Po Delta Park spanning Emilia-Romagna and Veneto. The park is important for bird migration — flamingos, herons, and ospreys pass through in large numbers. A good half-day add-on if you have a car and are staying overnight.

Practical Information

• From Bologna: Direct trains roughly every hour; about 1 hour. Station is a 15-minute walk from the main mosaic sites.
• Combined ticket: Covers the main UNESCO monuments in the city centre — buy it at the first site you visit
• Time needed: Full day for city centre mosaics, Dante’s tomb, and lunch; add Classe and Comacchio with a car
• Best time: Spring and autumn; arrive early in summer as the mosaics get crowded mid-morning
• Combining: Ravenna pairs well with Ferrara as a two-destination day from Bologna — Ferrara is en route by car

For a structured walking route through four of the main sites, see our Ravenna half-day walking route. For what you are looking at inside each monument, see the Ravenna mosaics site guide. For the food and restaurants of Ravenna, see the Ravenna food guide. For the Adriatic coast, see our Ravenna beaches guide. To visit the sites with a guide who explains the history and iconography, see our Ravenna guided tour.