Ravenna and its mosaics: five monuments on one ticket, and three left outside it

Eight monuments in Ravenna, all from the 5th and 6th centuries, were inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1996, and the combined Ravenna Mosaici ticket covers five of them: the Basilica of San Vitale, Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Neonian Baptistery and the Archiepiscopal Museum with the Chapel of St Andrew. The other three, the Arian Baptistery, Sant'Apollinare in Classe and the Mausoleum of Theodoric, are bought separately.

2 daysThe whole schedule by the hour, with Classe and the mausoleum on day two:Ravenna in 2 days →

The ticket and its slots

The ticket comes in versions for two, four or five monuments, and the difference is this: the double has only San Vitale and Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the four-monument one adds Galla Placidia and the Neonian Baptistery, and the five-monument one adds the museum. For the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Baptistery and the museum, a timed slot must be booked, so it is wise to fix those slots before deciding what to do with the rest of the day.

The first entrance is the Basilica of San Vitale, an octagonal building begun in 526 and consecrated in 547. In the apse Christ sits on a blue globe, offering a martyr's crown to Saint Vitalis, and opposite it, stand the two panels: Emperor Justinian in Tyrian purple with a golden halo, and Empress Theodora with her attendants. The panels were finished in 547, the year of the consecration, and rank among the most recognisable images of Byzantine Italy.

Next door is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, small and dark, cruciform, built between 425 and 450. It is enough to look up: the vault is covered in golden stars on a deep blue ground, and light enters through alabaster window panels. The name misleads. Galla Placidia is not buried here. By best estimate she lies in Rome, and the misconception about her tomb dates from the 13th century.

The Baptistery is the oldest monument still standing in Ravenna, octagonal, of brick, partly raised on the site of a Roman bath. Inside, in the dome, Christ stands waist-deep in the waters of the Jordan, and a procession of twelve apostles runs beside him. The eight sides in the plan carry a meaning: the seven days of the week and an eighth, the day of resurrection.

Hidden gemsWhat the town holds beyond its mosaics:Ravenna: three monuments off the main ticket →

The Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo is Theodoric's, from the first quarter of the 6th century, and began as an Arian church. Along the nave two processions run: twenty-two virgins led by the three Magi towards the Virgin, and twenty-six martyrs led by Saint Martin towards Christ enthroned. When the figures of Theodoric and his court were later removed from the mosaic, hands remained on the columns.

The fifth entrance on the ticket is the Archiepiscopal Museum with the Chapel of St Andrew. It is included only in the five-monument ticket, and its slot is booked in advance too.

Day tripsWhen the mosaics are done and the day is not:Day trips from Ravenna →

FoodWhat to eat between two mosaics:What to eat in Ravenna →