Did you know...
Ravenna! The capital of the mosaic art! They created murals of millions of tiny pieces of colored marble and stone and they are remnants from the early Christian and Byzantine eras. The of the mosaic was inspired by the Greeks and the Romans. The artisans created intricate works using marble and other material. Each piece was hand picked, cut and set in place one by one. The walls and churches of Ravenna are the surviving testament of this delicate art.
The Basilica of San Vitale is one of the great examples of this handwork, showing scenes from the Old Testament. Dante loved this city. After he was banished from Florence in 1302, he found sanctuary in Ravenna. Here he wrote the book of his Devine Comedy (la Davina Commedia), a trilogy of poems on Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory that changed literature forever! He was laid to rest in Ravenna in 1321, the area around his tomb was marked as "a zona di silenzio" in honor of this great man.
The citizens of Ravenna have made important contributions to the arts, politics, and literature. Like a precious stone, it has a special place in the mosaic of Italian pride!!