Ravenna and San Marino

This past weekend, we went on an overnight trip to Ravenna and San Marino to explore the cities' unique art, culture, and history.

Ravenna

Ravenna, a small city in Emilia Romagna, is famous for its mosaics, which is a style of art made with hundreds of tiny pieces of colored glass pressed into a hard surface. Our tour guide explained that each piece of glass is set into the surface at a particular angle to best capture and reflect the light, so even in dim spaces, our eyes are drawn to the glowing images. We stood outside of two brick buildings - La Basilica di San Vitale and Il Mausoleo di Galla Placidia - that house magnificent mosaics and learned about their historical significance. Built in the 5th and 6th centuries, the church and mausoleum have been almost perfectly preserved thanks to Ravenna's geography and political history. 

Inside the buildings, mosaics depict religious and political art in the Byzantine style, which reflects the political influences of the time in which they were created. 

Ravenna is also home to the tomb of Dante Alighieri, the incredibly important and famous author of La Divina Commedia, or the Divine Comedy.

San Marino

One of the world's oldest independent republics, San Marino sits perched on top of a mountain surrounded by idyllic countryside. On a clear day, you can see the Adriatic Sea from one of the many panoramic vantage points that the walled city offers. San Marino has three towers that cling to the cliff sides and look like castles straight out of a fairy tale. Our tour guide told us about San Marino's political structure and its role in history throughout the ages. After our guided tour, we had time to explore the winding paths of the city, shop, and take pictures. Our weekend came to an with lunch at a wonderful restaurant where we were served delicious lasagne with meat sauce and a hint of nutmeg. Yum! 

Overall, our overnight trip was s huge success!