Ravenna: three monuments off the main ticket
A small baptistery, a free archaeological site and a mausoleum without mosaics: three places the five-monument combined ticket does not cover.
- The Arian Baptistery
- €2, rarely a queue
- The House of the Stone Carpets
- free, an archaeological site
- The Mausoleum of Theodoric
- €6, no mosaics inside
The combined ticket covers five monuments in the centre and nothing more, so these three are bought separately or not paid for at all. All three sit outside the main flow of visitors running from San Vitale to Sant'Apollinare Nuovo.
A second baptism, a second faith
Where the Neonian Baptistery shows a baptism under Nicene Christianity, this smaller dome, raised under Theodoric, carries the same scene under the Arian rite, the faith the Ostrogoths brought into Italy. The mosaic in the dome is less known than its counterpart in the centre, and entry is €2. A queue is rare here.
The House of the Stone Carpets: floors like carpets
The House of the Stone Carpets is an archaeological site with mosaic floors whose geometric patterns resemble carpets laid in stone, hence the name. Entry is free.
2 daysWhen these two fit the two-day plan, after the main six mosaics:Ravenna in 2 days →The Mausoleum of Theodoric: stone with no mosaic
The only one of the city's eight UNESCO-listed monuments with not a single mosaic inside, this mausoleum stands plain on the outside, in stone. The reason to come is the roof, a single block of rock hauled across the sea from Istria. Entry €6, on the opposite side of town from the other monuments.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Are these three monuments on the five-site combined ticket?
No — the Arian Baptistery, the House of the Stone Carpets and the Mausoleum of Theodoric are bought separately, or are free, outside the €16 five-monument ticket.
What is there to see in the Mausoleum of Theodoric if it has no mosaics?
A plain stone building outside, with a roof of a single block of rock brought from Istria. There are no mosaics inside, so the reason to visit is the stone itself, entry €6.
Ready for Ravenna?
Where to next
What to eat in Ravenna
→Romagna cooking: piadina stands in for bread, while cappelletti and passatelli are served in broth.
Bologna · 69 km
→Sixty-two kilometres of covered pavement, and students since 1088
How well does Ravenna suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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