Ravenna, Rimini, and San Marinio

July 14-15, 2007

This weekend we took a little overnight trip to Ravenna, Rimini and San Marino. Our main destination was Ravenna to see the 1,500 year old Byzantine mosaics. We LOVED Ravenna! It is a great little town. We went to Rimini and San Marino because they were close to Ravenna. Rimini is a seaside destination but we went there because Jason wanted to see the Roman arch (Arch of Augustus built in 27 B.C) and the Roman bridge (Tiberius' Bridge from the 1st century A.D.). San Marino interested us because it is the third smallest country in Europe (only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller). All three places were about an hour away from each other.


The Basilica di San Vitale is the most famous site in Ravenna. It was completed in 548 A.D.


Mosaics in the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna.


Inside the Basilica


Detail of the Dome


The Mausoleum of Galla Placida dates from 430 A.D.


Inside the Mausoleum of Galla Placida.


Mosaics of the Mausoleum of Galla Placida. It dates from 430 A.D.


Mosaic of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, with his flock in the Mausoleum of Galla Placida.


the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo dates from the mid 500s A.D.


Mosaics in the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo.


Dante's Tomb is in Ravenna


A kitty on a sarcophagus in Ravenna



The Mausoleum of Theodoric was built in 520 as the tomb for Theodoric the Great. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 because it is a rare example of an early Christian monument in the Gothic style that owes its design to neither Roman or Byzantine influences.


The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe which is in Classe, a town just outside Ravenna, dates from the mid 500s A.D.


Mosaics in a the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe which is just outside Ravenna. It dates from the mid 500s A.D.


detail of moaic - I really liked the sheep which represent the 12 disciples


Arch of August in Rimini


Tiberius' Bridge


San Marino


a view from San Marino