Around Ravenna

We spent only two nights in Ravenna before continuing on our way.
As we left the city we stopped at nearby Classe to see another magnificent church,
that of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, also richly adorned with Roman mosaics.

At the front of the church is a half-dome depicting Saint Apollinaris as a shepherd in a lively pastoral setting
filled with sheep and plants and flowers of various types, and surmounted by a cross in a starry night sky.

To one side is an ornate stone canopy over a side altar. Even the mosaic floor survives from the end of the Roman Empire.

Since we were so close to the Adriatic coast at this point, we decided to make
a short detour to see it at a place called Lido di Dante or Dante's Beach.

From there we headed inland and to the southwest and towards Tuscany.
Along the way we stopped for lunch in a cute town called
Portico di Romagna

We admired the flower-filled streets and its picturesque medieval bridge.

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