We found what we thought seemed like a nice enough place. We went in, sat down, and looked at the menus. So far so good. Both Anne and Lara are vegetarians. So they specifically asked if the lasagna had any meat, and the server said that it didn't. So we all ordered and everything seemed okay still. Now I don't remember exactly what happened because nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Apparently when Lara said that she and Anne were both having the lasagna and that she would also have the bruschetta in Italian, the waiter thought she meant two bruschettas and one lasagna, or something. So that had to be cleared up and the waiter was quite rude about it, blaming Lara's poor Italian skills. Lara speaks excellent Italian. The idea of customer service just doesn't really exist in a lot of Italian shops and restaurants. I guess they haven't come to grips with the fact that they live in a top tourist destination. Either that or they realized that with so many tourists shuffling through, they can be as rude as they want and it won't affect their business since a thousand new tourists will come tomorrow.
So after that initial mix-up, they brought out food for Sarah, Mary, and I. Since this isn't too uncommon Lara and Anne told us to go ahead and eat so that the food didn't get cold. Then we waited and waited and waited for their food to come out. We asked the waiter. Then we asked the manager and he seemed friendlier and told them to hurry up. Meanwhile, I finished my food and I think Sarah (who also had the same lasagna) and Mary might have been finishing their food too before the other lasagna's came out. And, of course, it had a meat sauce on it. So we had to complain again. And again the waiter blamed our poor communication skills. Apparently we were confused when we asked two servers if the lasagna had meat and both of them said, "No it does not." It's a very confusing situation. So the waiter was mad and loudly dropped silverware on the floor, all the while telling us it was our fault. But that's just how it is in many places in Italy. The grocery checkout line people are unnecessarily rude too. Slamming your change down on the counter and looking at you like you're really bothering them. I really just don't get it.
Okay. On with the art.
Our next stop was the Orthodox Baptistry, or the Neonian Baptistry. The octagonal baptistry was begun by Bishop Ursus around 400 and was finished by Bishop Neon at the end of the 5th century. One source said that it is the oldest monument remaining in Ravenna.
The building has sunk quite far into the ground. You can see in the picture where the original floor is below the current floor. Actually, I read that it has sunk about nine feet, but the visible floor isn't that far down. Maybe that isn't the original floor. Who knows?
Rocky points to the mosaics above. They were added at the end of the 5th century also. Sarah is sitting next to a michigan fan. I think the girl behind Rocky must have thought that I was taking a picture of her. I think she's glaring at me.
The ceiling mosaics show John baptizing Jesus and the twelve apostles around and below them. I'm not sure which apostle this is, but I like the way he's waving at the camera.
Here is a good close-up on the mosaic.
Our next stop was Dante's tomb. You may remember the cenotaph that I took pictures of in Santa Croce that was built in his honor. The Florentines really wanted his remains when he died but Ravenna refused to relinquish them. Dante was born around 1265 in Florence and was a member of the White Guelphs. While the Guelphs were still united he had fought in the army that defeated the Ghibellines from Arezzo. The White Guelphs wanted less Papal influence in the city and the Black Guelphs supported the pope. Dante was sent to Rome to ask about the pope's intentions. While he was there Charles de Valois led the Black Guelphs into the city and took charge. Dante was exiled from the city. So he wrote the Divine Comedy in exile and died in exile.
The tomb was built in 1780. His remains were hidden in a wall for a while so that Florence could not get them back.
Our final stop was at San Apollinare Nuovo, not to be confused with our first stop of Sant'Apollinare in Classe. Saint Apollinare's relics were originally in the church in Classe but were moved to this location in 856 due to threats from pirates.
The church was originally built by the Gothic King Theodoric the Great at the beginning of the 6th century. He was an Arian and his church was dedicated to Christ the Redeemer.
After Justinian retook the area for the Byzantine Empire, he had the church reconsecrated in 561. At first the church was dedicated to St. Martin of Tours (who worked against the Arians and pagans in Tours). Later, after Saint Apollinare's relics were moved here, the church was renamed again.
There are 16 saints, prophets, and evangelists depicted on each side. Above are images of Christ's miracles and parables.
Here are the three wise men presenting gifts, while Mary holds Jesus surrounded by four angels.
There were a number of re-workings of the mosaics beginning in the 6th century, especially to rid the church of Arian images and scenes that glorified the king. Above you can see some disembodied hands on the columns.
After this last stop we re-boarded the buses and headed back to Florence. I think this was the trip back where Rocky put the movie Legend in on the bus. I don't recomend it.
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