Thursday 25th April 2024 – Marina di Ravenna, Italy

The other site that we had to book yesterday was the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia and we had chosen 10:10 for our visit. Interesting but certainly not spectacular from the outside, the interior of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia was a revelation. Beautiful early 5^th century mosaics cover the ceiling and walls down to head height. These are the oldest preserved mosaics in Ravenna but the colours are deep and bright and the mosaics look as though they could have been laid yesterday. Because of the limit on numbers in the mausoleum, our time inside was limited but it gave us time to admire the workmanship of those ancient mosaicists.
We moved on to San Vitale, also free with our pass and in the same grounds as Galla Placidia. Unlike the mausoleum, the basilica’s exterior is impressive and entering the Basilica was a real ‘Wow!’ moment. Huge amounts of those wonderful mosaics on the high ceilings above elegant columns and arches. As with all of the other early Christian mosaics that we have seen in Ravenna, gold leaf covered tesserae really catch the light. They also used different marble to give really bright colours in the mosaic. However, I was really interested in the floor mosaics that most visitors take little notice of. I am currently laying a replica Roman mosaic at Avalon Archaeology in Somerset and was keen to see the designs used here. It was good to see that there were very similar designs to those used in Somerset in Roman times.
Yesterday, the lady in the Tourist Information Office told us that today is a national holiday - the celebration of the liberation of Italy from the Nazis and Fascism. As a result, some of the sites are free today and she told us of three that we might want to visit. What she didn’t mention was that the National Museum was also free but Jane overheard someone being told that it was free when we were in the bookshop buying some guidebooks. We had intended to visit the museum on another day but decided that we should do it now. A very good museum and with, unsurprisingly, lots of Roman carvings and other finds.
On then to the Arian Baptistry, another very small site with a beautiful mosaic in the domed ceiling.
Our 24 hours in the camperstop we nearly up and we returned to the motorhome to drive the coast. We decided that we had time to call in at the Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo in Classe, another UNESCO World Heritage site, which is on the outskirts of Ravenna. Another very impressive site with more of those lovely mosaics.
After a busy day of sightseeing, it was time to relax at Camping Pioboni at Marina di Ravenna.
Photos: Part of the mosaic in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia complete with an alabaster window; Detail of one of the Galla Placidia mosaics; A scallop shell mosaic on the floor of San Vitale; The camperstop at Piazza Della Resistenza; The interior of the Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo in Classe.

 

Wednesday 24th April 2024 – Ravenna, Italy

We headed south to lower altitude and hoped for better weather. The first part of the journey took us down the pretty Brenta valley with cliffs towering on both sides. Skirting Padova was hassle-free and we were soon heading to the coast. Approaching Chioggia the road took us between a large area of wetland on the right and the sea on the left. There was a large, convenient lay-by and we pulled in to have lunch. In the distance to the left, we could see Venice until a rain shower over the city obscured it. On the right, we watched many distant flamingos and, closer, a large group of egrets. Very pleasant entertainment whilst we enjoyed our lunch.
I had found out that there was a camperstop (aire) in Ravenna from which a 10 minute walk took you into the centre of the city. The camperstop is very popular and, sensibly, the council has restricted stays to 24 hours. At €2.25 for 24 hours, it is incredibly good value. We arrived just after 4 pm and found a place to park. The spaces are very tight, with just enough space to open the habitation door and put down the steps. We pulled in our wing mirrors to ensure that the neighbours had room when the drove out and noticed that everyone else had done the same.
We wandered into the city centre passing at least five palazzo (very posh houses!) each with a plaque giving a potted history of the building. Arriving at the tourist information office we asked about the Ravenna Mosaics Pass (€12.50 ea) that gives entry into five of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the centre of the city and can be used over seven days. We were told that they had to be purchased at one of the sites and she suggested that Cappella di San Andrea, close to the tourist information office, was a good place to start. Given that they stay open until 19:00, we decided to visit two sites today and walked to San Andrea. Here we bought the passes and were told that we had to book a slot for two of the sites where numbers were limited due to the confined space in the buildings. One of these was the Battistero Neoniano, which is next to San Andrea and had availability now. We booked that and waked the few metres to it. We moved on to the Cappella di San Andrea, which is an interesting museum that also includes St. Andrea’s chapel, probably built in the early 6^th century and with beautiful mosaics.
Photos: A very impressive modern art installation on the edge of our camperstop car park in Piazza Della Resistenza; The mosaic ceiling in the Battistero Neoniano; The mosaic of Christ trampling on the serpent and the lion in Chapel of San Andrea.

Tuesday 23rd April 2024 – Arsie, Italy

 It rained all night but, as I was making our morning cups of tea, the sound of rain gradually faded away – it has stopped, I thought. I opened one of the blinds to find that the air was full of large snowflakes. The temperature had risen from 0.3°C to a balmy 0.6°C but the snow sent it back down again. The rain / snow / hail finally stopped at about 12:30 – 23 hours of continuous precipitation. Then, much to our surprise, the sun came out and the hills around the lake began to appear from behind the shrouding mist. The lady on reception told us that it was 30°C at the end of last week but we were just happy that it wasn’t raining.
The campsite is on Lake Corlo but, given the weather, we had only glimpsed it through the van windscreen that I had cleverly angled so that we could see the non-existent view. So, we jumped at the opportunity to get out for a walk and we wandered along the path next to the lake dodging puddles. The views were lovely with the hills reflected in the still waters.
When we returned, we decided to give the campsite restaurant a go and were very impressed. Given that there are only a handful of guests on the site, we were lucky that restaurant was open and the food was excellent and substantial.
Photos: Three photos of Lake Corlo. The campsite is just to the left of the white building in the middle of the first photograph.