In the wee hours of Friday morning, we arrived back in Italian territory, as our ship, the Pacific Princess arrived in Ravenna. The port of Ravenna is quite industrial, so there wasn't much at all to see from our balcony when we had breakfast. After a brief ride inland from the port of seven miles, we reached what i would call scenic Ravenna. One of the things I noticed right away was that it was not swarming with tourists. It seems to be a very normal Italian city, with regular people going about living their lives. The streets are not crowded and noisy from cars, motorcycles and buses blaring horns. Instead, the locals seem to prefer bicycles- there seem to be thousands of people on bikes everywhere. Old woman. Young boys. Business men. Chefs, shop keepers- all riding their bikes through town. It was refreshing to see. Ravenna has an abundance of historic sights, Churches, Basilicas and Mausoleums with the most stunning mosaic works I have ever seen. We went to see the tomb of the great Italian writer Dante Alighieri. (This photo is me at Dante's tomb). I am a big fan of his many works, so it was neat to find this monument to his literary talent and contributions. 
above left: The outside of the tomb of Dante Alighieri. above right: the Alighieri Theatre
above and below: Inside the Mercato Coperto was a myriad of stalls with fresh meats, fish, produce, flowers and baked goods. Look at how fabulous this is. Imagine being able to buy FRESH food like this every day!
above right: the Prosciutto/Parma hams hanging everywhere made me drool.
above left: the streets of Ravenna are lovely and quaint. above right: Bicycles are the preferred method of transportation for locals. The white path in the center is dedicated for bikes. You need to be on the lookout for them!
above: This wooden door caught my eye not only for the beauty of the grain, but for the view beyond the entry point.
The "Mercato Coperto"
The "Mercato Coperto"
above and below: Inside the Mercato Coperto was a myriad of stalls with fresh meats, fish, produce, flowers and baked goods. Look at how fabulous this is. Imagine being able to buy FRESH food like this every day!
above right: the Prosciutto/Parma hams hanging everywhere made me drool.
A Bounty of Basilicas with Truly Stunning Mosaics
above: my neck hurt from staring at these ceilings in wonderment.
Basilica Belltowers Galore...
Statues too...
Trendy Fashions
above left: I spotted this woman wearing a brown velvet jacket with lots of buttons, an orange tie and a beautiful silk blouse. Check out her ultra fab sunglasses. She was a pip. above right: a neat old car...no idea what make it was but it was old and fun. Friday is our last day on the ship, we arrive in Venice. Thanks again for stopping by today!
above left: I spotted this woman wearing a brown velvet jacket with lots of buttons, an orange tie and a beautiful silk blouse. Check out her ultra fab sunglasses. She was a pip. above right: a neat old car...no idea what make it was but it was old and fun. Friday is our last day on the ship, we arrive in Venice. Thanks again for stopping by today!
-Signore Ricardo Rockhill
Excellent pictures! Especially the Trendy Fashions gave me a feel of being there. Thank you for sharing once again!
ReplyDeleteThe freshness of the food in Italy is the best thing about it! I was able to eat absolutely everything there, with no after effects, since there were no preservatives in anything!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, once again.
Cool! They don't wear clothes like that in nashville...LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe fashion issue is interesting. I remember looking in Italian store windows and two years later seeing the trends here in the U.S. Grab one of the velvet jackets and a pair of those sunglasses and you'll be the leader of the fashion pack here. Your photos show everything I love about Italy. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI am all caught up now!
ReplyDeleteI remember in my art history course, we spent quite a bit of time on Ravenna, studying the mosaics of Justinian and Theodora in the Basilica of San Vitale.
That car looks to me like an old classic Citroen with the hydraulic suspension that you have to wait for whenever you start the car. You'd have to have a lot of time on your hands because if you're in a hurry you aren't going anywhere soon.
O Rick-- this is so wonderful! I dig the glasses! They remind me of Sir Elton John!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've been by in a bit. My husband has been gone for 2 weeks and I have been redoing our bedroom. I am worn out. I buy nice wine,pour a glass and surf on in to see what you are up to! ;)
The car looks like a Citroen. I'm not certain, but it reminds me of one.
ReplyDelete