RAVENNA, ITALIA

Everyone leaving church with their olive branches for Palm Sunday

March 29th
It was Palm Sunday and another beautiful weekend in northern Italy. PJ and I decided that another adventure was in order. We decided to first head down to the town of Ravenna which is famous for its 1500 year old churches. Ravenna once stood as the capital of the Western Roman Empire. It was taken by the barbarians and later turned into an important city of the Byzantine Empire. The city is currently full of bicycles, restaurants, shops, mosaics and sights [eight monuments and churches are UNESCO World Heritage Sites]. It is also close to Bologna, Ferrara and Rimini. 

Teodorico Mausoleum

Porta Aurea

Duomo

[Below] Piazza del Popolo: This piazza was built around 1500 when Ravenna was under venetian rule. 

[Below] The Basilica di San Vitale is 1400 years old and is known for its beautiful mosaics. This church was also the prototype for Hagia Sophia, which was built 10 years later.  

After the city trip we headed off to the Punta Marina area and let Reesey run crazy through the sand. She met a miniature horse and watched all the kids play!