Basilica of San Vitale (Basilica di San Vitale) Tours and Activities
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In 402 AD, during the latter days of the Western Roman Empire, Ravenna was made its capital, so it is fitting that this lovely city has some of the most important religious sights dating from the early days of Christianity. Now UNESCO-listed with all the other glorious mosaic showstoppers in the city, theBasilica of San Vitale (Basilica di San Vitale) dates from the mid sixth century; work started on it in 526 at the behest of Ecclesius, Bishop of Ravenna, and it was consecrated in 547. However, the Byzantines conquered Rome in 540 and took over the construction of the octagonal marble basilica. The resulting internal decoration is believed to be the finest example of Byzantine art in the world, executed by unknown master craftsmen over many years and liberally coating the interior with bejeweled mosaics. Detailed Biblical scenes contrast with depictions of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, ornamented with stylized patterns in green, red and gold, while the cupola is adorned with Baroque frescoes added in 1780 by artists from across northern Italy.
Daily Nov–Mar 9am–5.30pm; Apr–Oct 9am–7pm
Via San Vitale 17, Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, 48110
Tours and Activities to Experience Basilica of San Vitale (Basilica di San Vitale)
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Mosaics Guided Tour and Cooking Lesson at a Restaurant
1
See sparkling Byzantine mosaics before learning some secrets of Italian cooking with this mosaics tour and cooking class in Ravenna. Join a knowledgeable guide for a visit to two Ravenna monuments with UNESCO-recognized mosaics. Experience a lesson in cooking some local specialties, including a flatbread called 'piadina.'
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From
$120.63
From
$120.63
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
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Ravenna 3-Hour Private Walking Tour
3
Explore Ravenna's UNESCO World Heritage sites, dating from the Byzantine and Roman empires, on this private walking tour. With a dedicated guide, you'll enjoy personalized attention and a flexible itinerary. Entrance tickets to all sites included.
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From
$146.22
Price varies by group size
From
$146.22
Price varies by group size
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
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Private Ravenna Tour with Transport from Bologna
Check out the sights of Ravenna on a private day trip from Bologna. Traveling with your own personal guide, you'll spend half a day in Ravenna, a city loved for its UNESCO World Heritage Sites and its wealth of architecture and mosaics. Learn of its Byzantine and Roman history as you explore, and discover areas such as Piazza del Popolo and the so-called Dante enclave.
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From
$389.01
Price varies by group size
From
$389.01
Price varies by group size
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Learn More
Ravenna: private full-day tour with mosaics admission
Spend a full day getting to know the remarkable town of Ravenna. With five stunning Mosaic sights and an astounding 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Ravenna is a delight for the senses. Learn about the city’s Byzantine architecture from your guide as you explore historically significant landmarks. Break for lunch (own expense), and free time to explore and then reconvene in the afternoon. All museum admission fees are included with the tour.
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From
$216.28
Price varies by group size
From
$216.28
Price varies by group size
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
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Ravenna and its Enchanting Mosaics Full-day Tour
16
Marvel at the incomparable mosaics of Ravenna with this full-day tour. See some of the finest Byzantine mosaics anywhere, as well as early Christian mosaics. Learn about this timeless art from a knowledgeable guide.
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From
$255.88
per group
From
$255.88
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
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Private Walking Tour: Discover Ravenna's Stunning Mosaics
15
Discover the masterpieces of Ravenna during this in-depth and informative walking tour. You’ll get a comprehensive introduction to the UNESCO-World Heritage site, renowned for its ancient monuments and golden mosaics. Learn where Dante penned his famous Inferno and pay your respects to Italy’s beloved poet with a visit to his 14th-century tomb. Your guide will lead you through scenic town quarters as you’re entertained with history-filled legends.
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From
$146.22
per group
From
$146.22
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Learn More
Ravenna Mosaics and Art - Half day private guided tour
3
Discover the most iconic ancient mosaics in the stunning, seaside city of Ravenna during this half-day walking tour. Highlights include mosaics commissioned by the Emperor Justinian of Byzantium, the tomb of the Italian writer and poet Dante, and the private chapel of the Ostrogoths King Theoderic. Choose from all-day departure timings; admission tickets are purchased separately.
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From
$134.03
per group
From
$134.03
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
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Ravenna's Heritage Highlights Private Day Trip with a Local
How much Italian heritage can you pack into one day? The answer is ‘a lot’ when you go on a private day trip to the fabulous city of Ravenna! Your friendly and knowledgeable local host will be by your side as you travel by train from Bologna, to show you all the iconic sights and help bring history alive with facts, stories, and insights.
Fast forward 1500 years, and much of heritage that is still intact, from Byzantine basilicas to a beautifully preserved royal mausoleum. In fact, there are no fewer than 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ravenna!
Of all its many treasures, the city is best known for its mosaics, and you’ll be taken to see some exquisite examples. Beyond these mosaics are plenty more fabulous sights, including the marble basin of the Neonian Baptistry, the 570 golden stars inside the Mausoleo of Galla Placidia, and the eye-catching mix of architecture at the octagonal Basilica of San Vitale. If you’re interested in history at all, this is a must-do trip!
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From
$251.93
Price varies by group size
From
$251.93
Price varies by group size
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
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Mosaic Tiles - Guided Tour
42
The eternal beauty of the mosaics of some of the most famous Unesco monuments of Ravenna, in a tour that starting from Piazza San Francesco, will wind along the streets of the historic center.
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From
$31.68
From
$31.68
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
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Ravenna Private Guided Tour of Top Sites Ancient Mosaics & Piadina Tasting
2
On this half-day, private walking tour of Ravenna, you’ll enjoy a tailor-made introduction to the stunning, seaside Italian city. Get a peek at Byzantine-era mosaics in the basilicas of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and San Vitale, pay your respects to the famed poet at Dante’s tomb, and enjoy a complimentary food and wine tasting of regional products.
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From
$152.24
Price varies by group size
From
$152.24
Price varies by group size
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
Guides required to regularly wash hands
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Ravenna walking tour: stunning byzantine mosaics (Unesco)
The guided tour of Ravenna will start from the church of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo of the VI century realized by the Theodoric King of Arian religion. The second stage will be the Dante area also called the "zone of silence" dedicated to the cult and memory of Dante Alighieri. The tour continues towards the Neonian Baptistery. After the baptistery it will be the turn of Palazzo Rasponi from the heads of the Ravenna family of "Rasponi".
The tour concludes with the wonderful Basilica of San Vitale of the 6th century, testimony of the Roman-Byzantine empire reunified after the Aryan period. With an octagonal central plan, the church still preserves the splendid scenes of the Old Testament and the famous panels of the imperial couple Justinian and Theodora of the Eastern Roman Empire. Next to the Basilica of San Vitale we will visit the Mausoleum of the Roman Empress Galla Placidia of the 5th century, rich in unique mosaic decorations.
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From
$240.04
per group
From
$240.04
per group
From Rome to Byzantium: Walk in Dante Alighieri's footsteps on an audio tour
1
Take a wander through the last capital of the Western Roman Empire, the capital of the kingdom of the Goths and the Byzantine exarchate. On this self-guided audio tour, you'll also get a taste of the power of the great republic of Venice as well as the 19th century Italian Risorgimento, all the while accompanied by some of the most famous mosaics in the world in the presence of many UNESCO heritage sites.
The tour starts in ancient Rome, with the mausoleum of Galla Placidia and then takes you after the fall to the Basilica of San Vitale. We then head through the middle ages to the 19th century, as we move to Piazza del Popolo. Afterwards, we head back to the time of the Gothic domination with the Baptistry of the Ariana before going to see an elaborate cover-up operation in the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuova. Finally, we pay a visit to the mortal remains of the great poet Dante Alighieri, father of the Italian language.
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From
$5.33
From
$5.33
Art tour of Ravenna from Bologna
2
Ravenna: a treasure of the Mediterranean: A hidden world of mosaics and underground crypts, the absolute pearl of art of Emilia Romagna region.
Several populations estabilished on the sandy Adriatic coast. This endless territory of marsh, wetlands, lagoons, swamps, despite being partially unhealthy, turned out to be the perfect shelter for a craddle of civilization. The pines of the coast started to be exploited by romans to build their undefeatable fleet.
Our tour will be as rich in detail and complete as possible, in order to let you dive into this golden age, and let you travel back in time with your mind and your senses.
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From
$135.85
From
$135.85
Ravenna, the most beautiful mosaics in the city of Paradise
8
The guides of Il Papavero are able to adapt the tour to every need and type of clientele, always creating a pleasant atmosphere and without weighing down the historical-artistic explanations. The skills and sympathy come together to create an unforgettable tour ... in the folds of the Paradise of Dante's memory.
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From
$177.17
per group
From
$177.17
per group
Ravenna in half a day
You can visit Ravenna even in half a day: this will be enough to know its culture and history and to realize how this town is rich in architecture and art by the knowledge of the different religions that during the past strongly influenced all the mosaics decorations and its buildings.
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From
$166.75
per group
From
$166.75
per group
The best of BOLOGNA and RAVENNA on a Private Tour
Thanks to this FULL DAY tour you'll have the chance to discover the stunning wonders of this land: Bologna and Ravenna. Both cities were protagonists in the historic panorama of this part of Italy.
The presence of the University, the oldest in the Western world, has made BOLOGNA a cultural center of extraordinary importance. We'll visit the most evocative monuments and places in the city center.
RAVENNA, a Unesco site known worldwide because of its early Christian era mosaics, gives you the opportunity to see preserved monuments from the 5th and 6th century.
We will meet in Bologna in the morning and we will visit the city center highlights. Then together we'll catch the train to Ravenna.
* I would be happy to customize this tour so that it fits your requirements best!
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From
$421.53
per group
From
$421.53
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Learn More
Ravenna Walking Tour
Discover Ravenna with this itinerary that in just three hours takes you to visit the most famous and significant monuments of the city and to admire the early Christian and Byzantine mosaics among the most famous and best preserved in the world!
This delightful city between the 5th and 8th centuries was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, then of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths and finally of the Byzantine Exarchate, and traces of this past are gathered in the splendid early Christian buildings and in its eight UNESCO monuments .
But Ravenna is also the city that Dante Alighieri has chosen as the last refuge and which still preserves its memory and immortal remains.
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From
$135.95
Price varies by group size
From
$135.95
Price varies by group size
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Learn More
Experiences in Ravenna: a multi sensorial experience in a historical city
You will live a unique experience with an excellent private guide who is an artist as well as a journalist, with lunch included.
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From
$895.48
From
$895.48
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
Learn More
Best of RAVENNA on a Private Tour
Have you ever wondered how a mosaic is made?
Thanks to this tour you will discover any details.
I will lead you through the wonder of the stunning early Christian monuments of Ravenna (inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1996), telling you about the characters depicted, the symbols, and the religious politics behind them.
I'll let you discover and delve into the unexpected atmosphere. The radiance and colours of the ancient mosaics will allow you to feel how worshippers felt centuries ago.
During the tour we'll have the chance to learn more about the techniques and the materials they are made of.
*Monuments admission fees are NOT included.
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From
$152.31
per group
From
$152.31
per group
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Learn More
Ravenna and its treasures - Half-Day Walking Tour
1
You will be amazed by the stunning mosaics. Ravenna is a treasure trove which unveils eight UNESCO World Heritage monuments. You will appreciate the Ravennate atmosphere and feel to be part of the history. Visit of the byzantine Basilica of San Vitale, the roman Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo built by the king Theodoric, the Tomb of the major Italian poet Dante Alighieri. You will have the chance to step into a mosaic workshop, have a coffee break in a peaceful café and see the flooded crypt of the Church of Saint Francis. All with a local passionate and experienced tour guide.
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From
$177.17
per group
From
$177.17
per group
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Learn More
A walk through Ravenna brings the East
Unique experience with an exceptional guide capable of transmitting his passion for his city. You will have a glimpse of life lived in history
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From
$182.77
From
$182.77
At lunch with TEODORA
You will see Teodora in San Vitale and have lunch at Teodora's table in an exclusive restaurant in the center of Ravenna. You can enjoy traditional Romanesque-Byzantine food in a restaurant museum
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From
$102.34
From
$102.34
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
Learn More
A walk though the Oriental gate
Unique experience with an exceptional guide capable of transmitting his passion for his city. You will have a glimpse of life lived in history
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From
$182.77
From
$182.77
Face masks required for travelers in public areas
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Face masks provided for travelers
Learn More
Ravenna: Byzantine Mosaics & food tasting tour
We provide tours with the best local certified guides, our guides had to pass a severe exam abouth the history of the city to obtain this grade level. The experience we provide is unique and will make the difference for bringing back a great memory of this amazing city. We can arrange the tour in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and many other languages please ask us your needs.
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From
$121.85
Price varies by group size
From
$121.85
Price varies by group size
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