Byzantine mosaics and an ancient Roman port

Classe and Sant'Apollinare

About 12 km from Pineta Sea, south of Ravenna, lies Classe, the ancient port of the Roman Adriatic fleet. Here stands the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, consecrated in 549 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for the mosaic in its apse.

Next to it you can visit the Classis Ravenna Museum and the Archaeological Park of the Ancient Port of Classe. Close by, the Classe Pine Forest offers shady trails and cycle paths, perfect for a bike trip from the residence.

Photos: Zairon (CC BY 4.0); Coyote III and Clawsb (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

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Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe

Consecrated in 549, it is one of the masterpieces of Byzantine art and one of Ravenna’s eight UNESCO World Heritage monuments. The apse mosaic, showing Saint Apollinaris surrounded by twelve sheep in a green landscape, is among the most famous in the world.

Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe a Ravenna, vicino al Pineta Sea Residence di Marina di Ravenna

Classis Ravenna and the Ancient Port

The Classis Ravenna museum, housed in a former sugar factory, tells the story of the city from its origins to the Byzantine age. Nearby, the Ancient Port of Classe lets you walk among the remains of the warehouses and the paved road of the late antique port.

Area archeologica dell'Antico Porto di Classe, Ravenna

Classe Pine Forest

Part of the Po Delta Park, the Classe Pine Forest is one of the historic woodlands of the Ravenna coast, also mentioned by Dante. Walking and cycling paths cross it all the way to the mouth of the Bevano river.