Picking one favorite church from a 23-day tour of Italy is somewhat like asking a glutton to choose his favorite condiment from the pantry of the Ritz.
For us it could be San Marco in Venice, Santa Croce in Lecce, perhaps the World Heritage designated cathedral of Modena, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, an anonymous weathered wooden chapel in the alpine Dolomites. While there is certainly no bad choice -- like shaved truffles versus Sicilian anchovies -- I do have one clear favorite in mind.
There is something about the mystique of early Christian churches that fascinates me immensely, from the shadowy Roman arches to the archaic religious icons to the uncomplicated expression of doctrine. My favorite choice of Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna should surprise no one -- after all this is arguably the most impressive early Byzantine church outside of Byzantium, a rare 1500-year-old specimen from the Dark Ages. And dark may be a fair description of the atmosphere until one's eyes are brightened up at the first sight of the glorious ceilings.
Absolutely breathtaking Byzantine mosaics such as these, hailing from the same era as Hagia Sophia of Constantinople, are the world-class attractions at this otherwise anonymous town near Italy's northeastern coast. As sleepy and unremarkable Ravenna may appear to the uninitiated, in its 5th Century heyday this was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, which made it one of the world's most important cities in Late Antiquity.
For several hundred years from the fall of the Roman Empire until the rise of Charlemagne, cultured Ravenna, instead of dilapidated Rome, served as the political centre of Byzantine Italy. Emperor Justinian himself became immortalized in mosaic in this basilica, commissioned not in the same grandiose scale as Hagia Sophia but a majestic place of worship nonetheless. Even after one and a half millennia the ceiling mosaics continue to convey its biblical messages from Abraham to Isaac to Moses to Isaiah to the Evangelists.
Most visitors, myself included, were so awed by the sacred ambience that the basilica remained relatively quiet for the steady stream of multi-national tourists it justifiably deserves. 45 minutes was not enough for me to enjoy this hallowed temple of early Christian worship, from an era of simpler faith and less schism on doctrines.
The stunning mosaic alone would have made San Vitale my favorite church among sixty or so on a trip spanning from the Austrian border to the heel of Italy's boot, and these photogenic Byzantine columns and frescoed cupola were just the cherry on top. The only thing missing was a congregation of worshippers, and a choir, to bring this ancient basilica to life.
This was our third and last day-trip from our homebase in Bologna, visiting Emilia-Romagna's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites and sampling their own unique local cuisine. With all due respect to Modena's medieval architecture (and Balsamic Vinegar!) and Ferrara's renaissance castle and squares, nothing compared to this absolutely unmissible excursion to Ravenna in its Byzantine glory.
But the gold-inlayed mosaics at San Vitale aren’t even the oldest surviving ones in this ancient capital of a crumbling but still massive and influential empire. A short distance from the Byzantine basilica stands an even older monument from Roman times, a small but regal mausoleum covered entirely in magnificent mosaics fit for an empress.
Entrance to the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia was strictly controlled at about 20 or so visitors at a time for this slightly claustrophobic but intimate audience with the finest of Roman mosaics, extravagantly detailed and vividly colorful even after nearly 1600 years.
Windows of alabaster dimly illuminated this ancient burial chamber for the most powerful and storied women of her time, Empress Regent of the Western Roman Empire and a central character in Roman politics for decades leading up to Attila the Hun’s invasion of Italy.
From angels and apostles venerating a gold cross in a starry blue sky to this image of the good shepherd sitting among his beloved flock, religious mosaics hardly left any corner of the room undecorated in sublime craftsmanship. While our visit was kept short by the constant flow of tourists, at least non-flash photography was allowed inside the mausoleum, unlike our later visit to the Archbishop’s Chapel where photography of any form was prohibited.
Even larger scale mosaics awaited us among Ravenna’s wealth of World Heritage designated monuments, the oldest being the gorgeous spherical dome of Battistero Neoniano adorned with a 5th Century depiction of the Baptism of Jesus, encircled by larger-than-life images of his twelve apostles.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the baptistery was the free entrance policy -- we’re talking about a 1600-year-old national treasure that would be closely guarded, ticketed and possibly climate-controlled in most countries. Yet here in Ravenna the abundance of Roman and Byzantine relics has effectively relegated this building to secondary significance, which also allowed us to get up close and personal to admire the artistry of the 5th Century masters.
Equally breathtaking, and unguarded, was the slightly newer Arian Baptistry constructed after Ravenna had been passed from the Romans to the Goths. Repeated here were the common themes of John the Baptist, the twelve apostles, and Jesus who was depicted as brown haired and clean shaven as opposed to blonde and bearded at the Baptistry of Neon.
Ravenna proved to be an ideal day-trip with so many worthwhile sights all contained within a small and partially pedestrianized historic centre, conveniently accessible by train especially coming from nearby Bologna or perhaps as far as Venice or Florence. One word of caution though: plan to arrive no later than 10:00 in the morning if you have luggages in tow, as the number of lockers available at Cooperativa San Vitale (just south of the train station) was quite limited.
RESTAURANT REVIEW
Having time for only one meal in the region of Romagna, we took advantage of our lunchtime here to sample arguably the best loved Romagnolo culinary invention, the simple and filling peasant favorite of Piadina. In Ravenna this crusty flatbread seemed ubiquitously served at every street corner from tiny Baracchino stands to sit-down Trattorie, which created a minor dilemma in picking just one.
PIADINA CUPIDO
Via Cavour 43/a; located on the main pedestrian road just south of Basilica di San Vitale.
While we could have picked any random streetside Baracchino, we took the safe route and chose an eatery confident enough to call itself a Piadineria. Like Gyros stands in Athens or Kushiyaki stalls in Osaka, there’s probably no such thing as a substandard Piadineria as long as one avoids train stations and obvious tourist traps.
Piadineria Cupido focused on two main products: the essential staple of Piadina, and stuffed pasta freshly handmade behind the counter. Here the daily special happened to be Ravioli ai Funghi.
After 15 anxious minutes came the star attraction, a freshly toasted Piadina in the classic combination of creamy Squacquerone cheese, crispy arugula and of course, the Emilia-Romagna's famous Prosciutto Crudo. I still remember the scrumptiousness of the dough combined with the complex flavor of this luscious Prosciutto in probably our best sandwich of the trip.
Adding some fresh Ravioli ai Funghi and a green salad for my wife, we made it a full meal in case we would get stuck en route to our next destination. Later in the afternoon we would take a short train ride to Rimini before hopping on a bus, technically leaving Italy, to what would turn out to be my wife’s favorite destination on our trip -- the Republic of San Marino.
Bill for Two Persons
| Piadina with Squacquerone, Arugula and Prosciutto Crudo | 5.5 Euros |
| Ravioli ai Funghi | 6.5 Euros |
| Green Salad with Tuna and Cheese | 5.0 Euros |
| Can of Moretti | 2.4 Euros |
| Can of Peroni | 2.4 Euros |
| TOTAL | 21.8 Euros (CAD$30.5) |
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