Dazzled by the stars in the Galla Placidia Mausoleum, Ravenna

Galla Placidia Mausoleum, Ravenna, Italy/ Kimberly Sullivan

I‘ve already written about the amazing San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy. But another UNESCO Heritage site lies just across the lawn from that basilica – the Mausoleum of Galla Placida. This mausoleum was commissioned in 426 AD, by Empress Galla Placidia. Galla Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I (379-395) and sister to…

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Living like a noblewoman in Ravenna

I usually do all our holiday planning, so I was pleased recently when my husband took over and planned a weekend escape to beautiful Ravenna, Italy, in the Emilia Romagna region. He discovered a hotel I loved in the center of Ravenna: The Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi. This was a noble palace built in the 1700s…

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Dante’s final resting place

Dante Tomb, Ravenna, Italy/ Kimberly Sullivan

This year, in Italy, and around the world, we’ve been marking 700 years since the death of Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321). Dante is considered the Father of the Italian language and litearture, with his masterpiece The Divine Comedy written in (vulgar) Italian, rather than in (erudite) Latin – thereby ushering in a rich…

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