What a great town! If you love Europe and Italy, you may find, like I did, that Ravenna is one of your favorite places. If you’ve been, or if you’re going, pick up Judith Herrin’s Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe for your introduction.
Italy has so many spectacular sites. Rome, Florence, Venice, Tuscany, Amalfi, Milan, Lake Como, it goes on… By the time you get to Ravenna, you’ll be pleased it is off the beaten track, away from the touring throngs. Then, you realize you are in one of the most remarkable venues of European history.
For 350 years, roughly 400-750 AD, Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Not Rome. When Emperor Justinian reunited the Roman Empire in 540 AD, it was Ravenna that was restored to Imperial city, not Rome. In 800 AD, when Charlemagne returned to his hometown of Aachen, inspired to create the new European capital, it was Ravenna that served as his blueprint, not Rome.
With its mixture of Catholic Italians, Arian Goths, and Orthodox Byzantines, Imperial Ravenna was a tolerant city that reflected the strains of the hesitant evolution of Christian theology. There are eight sites, from stunning San Vitale Cathedral to the austere Mausoleum of Theodoric that comprise the “Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You will remember the remarkable mosaic art that chronicles the political and religious history of Europe. From the intimate baptisteries to the soaring apses, the craftsmanship is breath-taking. Imperial treasuries were emptied to create it.
The story of Ravenna is the story of the transition of the Roman Empire to the birth of Europe. It is also the story of the tortured adolescence of Christianity. It is artfully told in Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe. Enjoy the tale and discover a unique and important period of World history.
