Ports, Plans and Plot Twists: Ravenna Before the Cruise
Mosaics, Dante and Gelato
Each summer, our extended family tries to vacation together — all the kids are close in age and share common interests and we know how to travel well together! Last summer, we tried cruising and loved our week on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. But this summer, we decided to try cruising in Europe. The thought of packing your suitcase once (and medical equipment and supplies in our case) and visiting multiple locations was very motivating!
This year, we booked Norwegian Cruise Line’s 10 night cruise from Ravenna, Italy to Istanbul on Norwegian Viva.
Officially the embarkation port was listed as “Venice", but our ship actually departed from the cruise terminal outside Ravenna — roughly 3 hours south of Venice. Knowing our family, we needed extra time to conquer jet lag and since smaller, less touristy cities are our jam, we booked a few extra days in Ravenna.
Our crew of 8 took off on a KLM flight from Chicago O’Hare on June 30th and had a brief layover in Amsterdam before flying into Bologna. I’ve flown into Bologna twice and it’s such a lovely, manageable airport. The Marconi Express monorail took us directly from the airport to Bologna Centrale, where we caught a direct train to Ravenna. At this point, I was hallucinating about renting several Ubers, but we persisted! From the Ravenna train station, it was a 10 minute sweaty, but manageable walk to our hotel. I won’t lie — it was pretty arduous with our luggage and medical gear, but I love trying public transportation and it saved our big group a bundle of money.
Checking into Hotel Astoria put an end to our weary pilgrimage. I selected it because it offered shuttle service to Ravenna’s cruise port and unlike many European hotels, it had rooms that accommodated 4 or even 5 people. The real bonus was a full breakfast. We grabbed an inexpensive pizza dinner near our hotel and turned in for the night. After a great night’s sleep, an amazing breakfast and several cappuccinos, we walked to the city center for our mosaic tour.
It didn’t take long to realize Ravenna was a delightful surprise. The city is home to 8 UNESCO listed early Christian monuments, most dating back to the 5th or 6th century where Roman, Byzantine and Early Christian monuments, come together. The mosaics reflect Ravenna’s extraordinary history as the capital of Western Roman empire, the Ostrogoth Kingdom and later Byzantine Christianity.
Our tour guide, Sabrina, did an excellent job explaining the history, symbolism and sometimes the evolution of the mosaic art. She told us how artisans used tiny pieces called tesserae to construct the mosaics, which materials they selected and how they set the individual pieces at angles to catch the light.
Over 3 hours, we toured 5 different monuments. Almost without exception, their plain brick exteriors gave no clue to the jewel-box mosaics waiting inside.
My favorite stop was the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. Galla Placidia was the daughter of one Roman emperor, the sister of another and eventually served as regent for her son, Emperor Valentinian III. Despite the building’s name and the 3 sarcophagi inside, she was never buried there. She died in Rome in 450 AD and was buried there.
As you can tell from the exterior photo on the right, the building is fairly nondescript. It could be an old bathhouse, a small chapel or another utilitarian structure.
Stepping inside the building was like cracking open an unremarkable stone and finding a beautiful geode inside. The upper walls and ceiling are completely adorned with mosaics, the most famous was the central vault, decorated as the midnight sky with sparkling stars arrayed in concentric circles. A golden cross in the center is anchored in the corners with symbols of the four Evangelists.
Depicted in the first photo, above the altar, is a vivid mosaic of St. Lawrence who was martyred 2 centuries prior. St. Lawrence is depicted boldly striding towards his fate with the comfort of the gospels contained within the cabinet on the left. Notice the recessed alabaster window, which allows light into the building, but helps retain its mysterious nighttime atmosphere.
The second photo of the blue barrel ceiling and mosaic is taken facing the exit. It represents Christ as the good shepherd with his flock and interestingly, he’s depicted as young and beardless. This reflects the Roman emphasis, which was later replaced by Byzantine ideals. After viewing the mausoleum, you pass under Christ’s watch, reminding yourself that He is with you.
The third photo shows one of the most famous mosaics in Ravenna; the night sky with Christ’s cross in the center representing his victory over death. The sky is dotted with concentric circles of golden tesserae pieces, which were made by placing gold leaf between pieces of glass. Setting the tesserae at varying angles, makes it appear to twinkle. The four animals in the corners represent the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Centuries of subsidence have left the mausoleum roughly 5 feet below its original ground level. Visits are limited to 5 minutes at a time to help control moisture and condensation inside and protect the ancient mosaics.
We really enjoyed this tour and learned far more than we would have exploring the mosaics on our own. If you’d like to experience the same Ravenna mosaic tour, you can book it through Viator here.
This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you book through it, at no additional cost to you.
Unfortunately this day was the end of a brutal European heat wave and temps were close to 100 degrees. My younger son with cystic fibrosis had difficulty with the extreme humidity and heat and went back to the hotel to rest with my mom. I’ve learned that part of traveling with a loved one with complex medical needs is being willing to modify or cancel plans to accommodate changing needs — without agonizing over money already spent or schedule disruptions.
After our tour, Sabrina took us to a delightful gelateria called Puro & Bio where we all treated ourselves to a cone. The gelato flavors were unusual; I choose a mashup of almond, pistachio and milk chocolate and the whimsical seating made it an especially fun stop. I did take a long look at their cake offerings — next time! Puro & Bio has other locations throughout Italy, so keep an eye out for one during your travels.
For dinner, we tried a pizzeria near our hotel, which was delicious and did a steady scooter delivery business. Then we were all relieved to head to bed!
Our group of 8 decided to divide and conqueror on our second day in Ravenna. My sister and the boys took a short taxi ride to the beach, while my mom and I visited some of the sites she’d missed on the previous day. Scott explored on his own. We’ve found this strategy to be helpful, since 8 people can rarely agree on the same activity!
After our trip to Aldi, we grabbed dinner in the city center of Ravenna, went back to the hotel and repacked our bags.
Ravenna had never been on my list of places to visit, but I’m so grateful we went. I had considered it merely a place to recover from jet lag for several days before our cruise. Instead, it reminded me that one of the great joys of traveling is discovering places we never intended to visit and finding unexpected beauty there.
If you’re planning a cruise that departs from Ravenna (it may also be listed as Venice!), I encourage you to arrive a few days early and enjoy this city’s remarkable treasures.
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