Ravenna is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The city has a long and storied history as the seat of empires and popes. Once an important port, the City is now land-locked, connected to the Adriatic by a canal still very much in use. Like the earliest Venetians, the earliest inhabitants (of unknown origin) built stone houses on islands in marshy lagoons, and in time, the lagoons were filled and the settlement expanded. In 89 BC, the town, hitherto ignored by the Romans, became a federated town in the Empire. It was here, in 49 BC that Julius Caesar gathered his forces and cast the die when he decided to cross the Rubicon River. The Emperor Augustus developed Classe, a military harbor in 45 BC, which remained important through the Middle Ages.
Today Ravenna is a small industrial and business center. The City has a pleasant, vivacious quality which has endeared, and continues to endear.

	Country:	Italy
	Location:	Northeast
	Country Code:	+39
	Population:	146,989
	Language:	Italian
	Currency:	Euro (€)
	Time Zone:	GMT+1
	Train Station:	Ravenna Station
	Tourism:	Ravenna Tourism

By Car A14 from Bologna; SS309 south from Chioggia; SS16 from Ferrara.

By Train Ravenna station has good connections to all of Italy and Europe. Journey times to Rome are from 4 1/2 hours.

By Ferry Ferry services operate between Ravenna and the croatian ferry port of Porec.

• World Heritage List
• Spirito Santo
• St. Francis Basilica
• National Museum
• Rocca Brancaleone

Eight early Christian monuments of Ravenna are inscribed on the World Heritage List. These are: Neonian Baptistery (c. 430), Mausoleum of Galla Placidia (c. 430), Arian Baptistry (c. 500), Archiepiscopal Chapel (c. 500), Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (c. 500), Mausoleum of Theodoric (520), Basilica of San Vitale (548) and Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe (549). Other tourist attractions include: The ancient church of the Spirito Santo, which has mantained the original lines from the 5th century. It was originally an Arian temple. The façade has a noteworthy 16th century portico with 5 arcades. The St. Francis basilica, rebuilt in the 10th-11th centuries over a precedent edifice dedicated to the St. Apostles and later to St. Peter. Behind the humble brick façade, it has a nave and two aisles. The National Museum has many artifacts on display and regularly changes exhibts. the Rocca Brancaleone ("Brancaleone Castle") was built by the Venetians in 1457. Once part of he city walls, it is now a public park.