Sights in East Of Bologna
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Basilica di San Vitale
The Basilica di San Vitale was consecrated in 547 by Archbishop Massimiano. In contrast to the sombre exterior, its interior is awash with colour as the rich greens, golds and blues of the mosaics are bathed in soft yellow sunlight. The mosaics on the side and end walls represent scenes from the Old Testament: to the left, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac in the presence of three angels, while the one on the right portrays the death of Abel and the offering of Melchizedek. Inside the chancel, two magnificent mosaics depict the Byzantine emperor Justinian with San Massimiano and a particularly solemn and expressive Empress Theodora, who was his consort.
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Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe
The brilliant star-spangled apse mosaic of the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare in Classe is a must-see. The basilica, 5km southeast of the city centre, was built in the 6th century on the burial site of Ravenna’s patron saint, who converted the city to Christianity in the 2nd century. To get there take bus 4 or 44 to Classe.
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Battistero degli Ariani
Behind the Basilica dello Spirito Santo, just off Via Diaz, is the Battistero degli Ariani, whose breath-taking dome mosaic depicts the baptism of Christ.
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Museo della Città
Rimini’s Museo della Città displays paintings upstairs, including a haunting Pietà by Giovanni Bellini and an altarpiece by Domenico Ghirlandaio. However, the museum’s centrepiece is the archaeological section on the ground floor. Spread over several rooms, with excellent bilingual (Italian-English) signage, are finds from two nearby Roman villas, including splendid mosaics, a rare and exquisite representation of fish rendered in coloured glass, and the world’s largest collection of Roman surgical instruments. You can walk through a life-size reconstruction of the surgeon’s offices, then visit the original excavation site across the street at the recently opened Domus…
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Basilica di San Vitale, Mausoleo di Galla Placidia & Museo Nazionale
The basilica was consecrated in 547 by Archbishop Massimiano. In contrast to the sombre exterior, its interior is awash with colour as the rich greens, golds and blues of the mosaics are bathed in soft yellow sunlight. The mosaics on the side and end walls represent scenes from the Old Testament: to the left, Abraham prepares to sacrifice Isaac in the presence of three angels, while the one on the right portrays the death of Abel and the offering of Melchizedek. Inside the chancel, two magnificent mosaics depict the Byzantine emperor Justinian with San Massimiano and a particularly solemn and expressive Empress Theodora, who was his consort.
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Tempio Malatestiano
Rimini’s grandest monument is its cathedral, the Tempio Malatestiano. Dedicated to St Francis, it was transformed in the 15th century to house the tomb of Isotta degli Atti, the beloved mistress of Sigismondo Malatesta. Sigismondo, a member of the ruling Malatesta clan, was something of a rogue: Pope Pius II, himself no angel, burned Sigismondo’s effigy in Rome and condemned him to hell for an impressive litany of sins that included rape, murder, incest, adultery and severe oppression of the people.
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Duomo
The outstanding feature of the pink-and-white 12th-century Duomo is its three-tiered marble facade, combining Romanesque and Gothic styles on the lower and upper tiers respectively. Much of the upper level is a graphic representation of the Final Judgment and heaven and hell (notice the four figures clambering out of their coffins). Astride a pair of handsome lions at the base squats an oddly secular duo, mouths agape at the effort of holding it all up.
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Palazzo Municipale
Linked to the castle by an elevated passageway, the 13th-century crenellated Palazzo Municipale was the Este family home until they moved next door to the castle in the late 15th century. Nowadays, it’s largely occupied by administrative offices but you can wander around its twin courtyards. The entrance is watched over by copper statues of Nicolò III and his less-wayward son Borso – they’re 20th-century copies but nonetheless imposing.
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Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo
Originally built by the Goths in the 6th century, the basilica claims some of Ravenna’s most beautiful mosaics. On the right (south) wall, 26 white-robed martyrs are depicted heading towards Christ with his apostles, while on the left, there’s an equally expressive procession of virgins, bearing offerings to the Madonna. Spread along both walls are smaller panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ.
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Pinacoteca Nazionale
Named after the diamond-shaped ashlar stones on its facade, the Palazzo dei Diamanti was built for Sigismondo d’Este late in the 15th century. Regarded as the family’s grandest palazzo, it is now home to the Pinacoteca Nazionale and its interesting collection of paintings from the Ferrarese and Bolognese schools.
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Dante's Tomb
Italian literary legend Dante Alighieri spent the last 20 years of his life in Ravenna after being kicked out of Florence - to this day Florence supplies the oil for the lamps that burn in his tomb, as penance for exiling him. Dante's Divine Comedy was written in Ravenna, and today Dante's tomb is a reverent place with a wonderful mosaic floor.
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Tomba di Dante
Dante spent the last 19 years of his life in Ravenna, writing much of the Divine Comedy, after Florence expelled him in 1302. As a perpetual act of penance, Florence still supplies the oil for the lamp that burns continually in the Tomba di Dante. Another literary great, Lord Byron, briefly lived in a house on nearby Piazza di San Francesco.
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Castello Estense
Complete with moat and drawbridge, Ferrara’s towering castle, Castello Estense was commissioned by Nicolò II d’Este in 1385. Initially it was intended to protect him and his family from the town’s irate citizenry, who were up in arms over tax increases, but in the late 15th century it became the family’s permanent residence.
Although sections are now used as government offices, a few rooms, including the royal suites, are open for viewing. Highlights are the Sala dei Giganti (Giants’ Room) and Salone dei Giochi (Games Salon), the Cappella di Renée de France and the claustrophobic dungeon. It was here in 1425 that Duke Nicolò III d’Este had his young second wife, …
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Mausoleo di Teodorico
This two-storey mausoleum, built in 520, is a considerable feat of construction with its huge blocks of stone uncemented by any mortar, and 300-tonne dome. At the heart of the mausoleum is a Roman basin of porphyry that was recycled as a sarcophagus. Take bus 2 or 5 from the city centre.
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Palazzo Schifanoia
Ferrara’s most famous frescoes are in the Este’s 14th-century pleasure palace, Palazzo Schifanoia. In the Salone dei Mesi, Francesco del Cossa’s 15th-century frescoes depicting the months and seasons are considered among the best examples of their type in Italy.
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Palazzo del Municipio
The city's finest palazzi hug the attractive Piazza Cavour. On its northern flank, Palazzo del Municipio, built in 1562 and reconstructed after being razed during WWII, abuts the imposing 14th-century Gothic Palazzo del Podestà; neither are open to the public.
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Tomba di Dante
Dante spent the last 19 years of his life in Ravenna, writing much of the Divine Comedy here, after Florence expelled him in 1302. As a perpetual act of penance, Florence still supplies the oil for the lamp that burns continually in his tomb.
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Museo Archeologico Nazionale
You’ll find Etruscan artefacts, along with an impressive selection of Attic vases, in Palazzo di Ludovico il Moro at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale. Many finds came from the Etruscan town of Spina, near modern-day Comacchio.
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Museo della Cattedrale
The Museo della Cattedrale houses various artefacts from the cathedral, including a serene Madonna by Jacopo della Quercia, a couple of vigorous Cosimo Tura canvases, and some witty bas-reliefs illustrating the months of the year.
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Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra
To the west, not far from the Basilica di San Vitale, the 6th-century floor mosaics at the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra were unearthed in the early 1990s. Of considerable artistic merit, they are decorated with geometric and floral designs.
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Battistero Neoniano
The domed roof of the Battistero Neoniano holds an impressive set of mosaics depicting the apostles and the baptism of Christ. Thought to have started life as a Roman bathhouse, it was converted into a baptistry in the 5th century.
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Teatro Amintore Galli
The Teatro Amintore Galli was a 19th-century addition to Via Pescheria, appearing in 1857 in the feverish years leading to unification.
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Casa Romei
The Renaissance Casa Romei is where Lucrezia Borgia spent much of her time in Ferrara. The austere brick exterior hides a peaceful inner patio and, on the 1st floor, a 16th-century apartment preserved in its original state.
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Museo Nazionale
The Museo Nazionale is housed in the cloisters of a former Benedictine monastery. There’s a wealth of pottery, bronzes, icons and vestments, plus more Madonna and Child portraits than you can shake a halo at.
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Museo Arcivescovile
The tiny Museo Arcivescovile is well worth a visit for its fine collection of mosaics and an exquisite 6th-century ivory throne.
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