Ravenna when it drizzles

I finally made it to Ravenna. I now am officially a medievalist. I also have sweet Ravennan/Ravennese/Ravennian? souvenirs. Unfortunately because it was overcast most of the day it was hard to get good pictures of the mos-EYE-ics.

Sant' Apollinare Nuovo.
I am struggling here to hold an umbrella, my sandwich, a bottle of coke and take the picture

This was built in the early sixth century as the palace chapel for the Ostrogothic king Theodoric.

When the church was later converted into an Orthodox church the depictions of members of Theodoric's court between the columns of the palace were replaced. You can still see their hands though on the columns themselves.

Create your own mosaic. Bags of tesserae that come with nothing to stick them on or even instructions. Unfortunately they were too expensive

The Arian baptistery for Theodoric et al.
Yeah I am too lazy to rotate this picture.

Quite possibly the cutest raising of Lazarus I have ever seen.

San Vitale
Also built in the 6th century and one more monument I can check off of my UNESCO World Heritage List. Although you can't swing a cat in Ravenna without hitting one of these (is that even an expression?)

The Byzantine Empress Theodora. I now I have an eyeglasses cleaning cloth with this on it.

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia. My favorite building here. Unfortunately it was so dark none of my pictures came out.

Straw into Gold, Straw into Gold, Impossible I'm told!
Ugly contemporary art near the Mausoleum of GP

Opus Sectile in the Orthodox Baptistery

Dome of the Orthodox Baptistery

Stucco work. If only someone would write a dissertation about this place. I bet they could win some awesome fellowship or something...