- Rome
See more of Ravenna with a combo ticket for San Vitale and Sant Apollinare Nuovo, with an included visit to St. Andrew's Chapel inside the Archiepiscopal Museum.
San Vitale
In Ravenna, check out the San Vitale, an octagonal 6th-century wonder that combines classic Roman and Byzantine architectural elements.
Along its walls, stories from the Old Testament are depicted using thousands of tiny tiles to create intricate mosaics. Adjacent mosaics pay loyal tribute to Roman royalty – Emporer Justinian I and Empress Theodora.
The mausoleum of Galla Placidia, dating from the first half of the 5th century, is not far from the Basilica of San Vitale.
Its functional identification with a funerary building and that of its patron, the empress Galla Placidia, are widely spread in academic circles, but there is no certainty of either.
The mausoleum is listed as an Italian UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
Erected by Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great in the 6th century, the discreet Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with hidden treasures.
Inside, you'll discover floor-to-ceiling mosaics from the Byzantine era, once painted black by Pope Gregory the Great to keep parishioners focused on prayer, and reconstructed after damage from WWI.
Inside, you'll find the oldest mosaic cycle related to the life of Christ.
St. Andrew's Chapel
Evidence of the religious divide during the early Byzantine era can be seen clearly at St. Andrew's Chapel, where more mosaics tell the story of important people and places of Ravenna.
Dubbed the "hidden pearl" of the Archbishop Museum, St. Andrew's Chapel can be found inside. As the private chapel for the bishops of Ravenna, it contains epigraphs, the Cathedral treasure, and an ivory throne of bishop Maximian.
The Neonian Baptistery is named after Bishop Neon, who continued its construction after his predecessor, Ursus. Inside, it stands out for the decoration of the entire mosaic dome dating back to the time of Bishop Neone