On a previous trip, we visited Ravenna, which is south of Venice on the Adriatic (northeast) coast of Italy. The treasures of the small city wowed us then, and we were happy to be within striking distance again from our base in Parma.
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For a short while during the 5th century, Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, before it fell to the Goths, who were eventually turned out by Byzantine forces, putting it under the control of Constantinople. During the Byzantine era Ravenna became a global cultural center, and much of the glory of that time remains in the form of churches and other monuments bedecked in some of the most dazzling mosaics anywhere. Today, Ravenna is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the historic center is dotted with churches, baptistries, museums and mausoleums whose exteriors appear fairly nondescript, but whose interiors shine with deeply-hued and golden mosaics; they seem like geodes of the art/architectural world. Add the soft light of honey and rose-tinted alabaster windows, some floor mosaics, and the significance of the fact that most of the sites are still active churches, and the experience remains unforgettable.
After leaving Ravenna, we drove along the coast a short way to the Po River delta, an area of low-lying wetlands, bird sanctuaries, beaches, canals and fishing villages. The channels running out to the sea were lined with cantilevered fishing nets that are raised and lowered by their tenders in wooden structures on the banks.
We stopped to wander around Comacchio, a fishing town threaded with canals; it looks like one of the islands in the Venetian lagoon -- without the tourists. The area's main attraction is the Trepponti, a monumental brick bridge built in the 17th century that crosses three of the intersecting canals.
And, so goes another day on the road...
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