The province of Ravenna has an area of 1,858 sq.km. and borders the province of Ferrara to the north, Bologna to the west, the region of Tuscany to the south west, the province of Forli Cesena to the south and the Adriatic sea to the east.
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As with some of the other provinces of Emilia Romagna, the landscape of Ravenna varies from mountains, across hills to valleys and flat plains to the marshes of the Po Delta. Although Ravenna is slightly inland it is connected to the Adriatic sea by the Candiano Canal. The Regional Park of the Po Delta spans this province bringing with it the diversity of exotic flora and fauna for which it is famous. The coastline stretching along this province is some of the most famous in Italy attracting the upper classes from Venice and other wealthy northern regions of the country. The beaches are flat, straight and sandy with many of them backed by stunning pine forests.
Ravenna has always been a prosperous city and was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire. It later became the centre of the Byzantine empire before it was conquered by the Lombard King Aistulf.
In spite of many battles over the years and a strong involvment in World War II, Ravenna has somehow managed to escape serious damage and is now considered to be one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the region of Emilia Romagna.
The city of Ravenna has eight Christian monuments which are on the World Heritage List. From the they oldest they are as follows:
Most of the walls and the ceiling of the interior are covered with Byzantine mosaics, some of them depicting different scenes. The lunette over the northern entrance shows Christ as the Good Shepherd whereas the one on the southerly wall shows St. Lawrence standing next to a flaming gridrion.
The Mausoleum also contains three sarcphagi (coffins made from a particular type of limestone which decomposes the flesh of the body within). One of them is believed to contain the remains of Galla Placida, daughter of the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. The other two supposedly belong to her husband and either her son or brother.
Other interesting places to visit in the city are:
There are still many interesting churches to visit, most of them containing wonderful examples of mosaics. They are:
Every year the city hosts a classical music commemoration, The Ravenna Festival. Opera performances are held in the Teatro Alighieri and outside concerts take place at the Palazzo Mauro de André. Musicians and conductors from around the world are attracted to this festival and it is always well attended.
The town of Faenza is set in an extremely fertile area with a large agricultural industry and is surrounded by gentle hills covered in vineyards. The main centres of the town are the Piazza del Popolo with its porticos and the Piazza della Libertà.
Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica glazed earthenware pottery, known as 'faience' which is taken from the name of the town. This pottery from Faenza is recognised for being highly artistic and creative and is widely considered to be some of the best in the world. The town has a Museum of Ceramics in which there are fine pieces on display from all around the world.
Away from these two piazzas you can find the Neoclassical Palazzo Milzetti, the Teatro Masini and the Villa Case Grandi dei Ferniani which has a collection of Faenza ceramics.
The Castle, from which this village takes its name, was built in the late 14th century. In 1501 both the castle and the village walls were destroyed by Cesare Borgia. The walls were rebuilt in 1504 but today only parts of the wall and castle remain.
Other than the castle this tranquil little village has the Church of San Sebastiano which was built in 1506, the 18th century Church of San Francesco and a Civic Museum.
This is a popular seaside resort and has 10 kilometres of beautiful sandy beaches. Within the town there are a few interesting sights:
This is a true medieval village in the valley of the river Lamone, halfway between Ravenna and Florence. The village has three hills, one with a castle, one with the Sanctuary of Monticino and the last with the Torre dell'Orologio.
The village was formed in 1216 after the destruction of the Casola castle by soldiers from Faenza. It was subsequently seized by many prominent families, including the Borgias.
The most prominent landmark of the area is Monte Baggaglia which is a mountain with a medieval tower on its summit.
There are several points of interest in the village of Casola Valsenio:
The small town of Lugo is home to the rocca Estense (Este Castle) with its beautiful 19th century garden. It also has the Pavaglione which was a 19th century covered market specialising in the silkwork trade.
It also has the Pavaglione which was a 19th century covered market specialising in the silkwork trade. The Teatro Rossini is a 445 seat opera house and there are also two churches of note, the Collegiata church and San Francesco di Paola which was built in 1890 and has a terracotta sculpture of the dead Christ.
The well known Italian singer Laura Pausini was born and grew up in Solarolo.
More Details
High | Low | Sun | Rain | |
Jan | 5 | -2 | 3 | 43 |
Feb | 8 | 1 | 3 | 45 |
Mar | 13 | 4 | 5 | 60 |
Apr | 18 | 8 | 6 | 67 |
May | 23 | 12 | 7 | 65 |
Jun | 27 | 16 | 9 | 53 |
Jul | 30 | 18 | 9 | 43 |
Aug | 29 | 18 | 8 | 58 |
Sep | 25 | 15 | 7 | 61 |
Oct | 19 | 10 | 5 | 72 |
Nov | 11 | 4 | 3 | 81 |
Dec | 6 | 0 | 2 | 61 |
Table Key: High - Average monthly high temperatures Low - Average monthly low temperatures Sun - Average hours of sunshine per day Rain - Average monthly rainfall in mm |