Day Trips From Bologna - Ravenna

A second highlight was a day trip to Ravenna, to see the mosaics.   Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, and for a brief period the rulers built elaborate churches that were decorated with mosaics in the interiors.   For various reasons, these churches are now the best remaining examples of Byzantine mosaics in existence.   It helps, of course, that mosaics are less fragile than paint.   Again, there is nothing like seeing these mosaics in the churches that they were made for, because you see both the mosaics and the architectural space the were meant to be seen in.   There are three or four main sites in the town.   To me the most striking was the Basilica of San Vitale, with its beautiful octagonal interior.   It was completed in the year 527, and combines elements of both Roman and Byzantine architecture.   Again, I can't really photograph the architecture or the space, but I can photograph the mosaics.

                       

Nearby is the very small Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, which was built around the same time.  You can see the mosaics very well.

Ravenna also has an exquisite baptistry, in the usual octagonal shape.





Inside:

The domed ceiling:

Detail:

In a museum, the small chapel of Sant'Andrea:

And finally, the Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, which has a large, rectangular shape:

The bell tower outside:

                    

We saw this, the throne of an early pope, made out of carved ivory:

A building in Ravenna:

Day Trips from Bologna - Padua

One of the things I was most excited about seeing on this trip was the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.  It has frescoes painted by Giotto in the 14th century.   It was a highlight of the trip for me.   Because the frescoes are delicate, entrance is rigidly controlled.  You have to wait 15 minutes in an acclimation room, and are only allowed 15 minutes for a visit, with a maximum of 25 visitors at a time.  (Reservations are required.)  We did it twice, because 15 minutes would not have been enough.  (I commend the people who run this for being so careful with the chapel.)   Seeing the frescoes in the chapel they were painted for is very special; another site-specific work of art.   They have been restored, and are very well lit.  Giotto's visionary images are striking; you see him breaking away from the constraints of Medieval art.   Among other things, he painted the first kiss in European art.  And his vision of the damned is almost Bosch-like.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves:

(It's worth noting that all of the frescoes we saw on our trip portraying the damned had very similar images.  Apparently they all all based on Dante's imagery.)




Details of the above:

Individual frescoes:

Detail:

Padua is another beautiful small size Italian city with layers of history.  We also saw the Basilica of St. Anthony, who is buried there.  It was finished in 1310, but has been constantly reworked since then and the result is a typical mishmash of styles.

Byzantine domes:




This is a trompe l'oeil interior chapel: some of that is painted to look deeper than it is;

From further away: