Ravenna

Ravenna sits a few kilometres inland from the Adriatic coast in Emilia-Romagna, and the cruise port at Porto Corsini is connected to the city centre by shuttle or taxi. The city was the capital of the Western Roman Empire in its final decades and then a centre of Byzantine power in Italy, and the mosaics from that period are the reason to visit. Eight buildings with early Christian mosaics hold UNESCO World Heritage status. The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, a small brick building from the 5th century, has an interior covered floor to ceiling in deep blue and gold mosaics that catch the light through thin alabaster windows. The Basilica of San Vitale has large-scale Byzantine wall mosaics showing Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora. Dante Alighieri is buried in a small tomb in the centre of town, having died in exile here in 1321. Restaurants in the old town serve piadina (stuffed flatbread) and local Emilia-Romagna wines.