River Countess Cruise Photos

From: Uniworld River Countess cruise review

Day 5 (3)

After touring the basilica and mausoleum, we were given the option of heading off on our own or visiting the Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (shown above). We chose the church.

Sant'Apollinare Nuovo was built around the beginning of the 6th Century. The outside isn't particularly impressive, but the interior is another story: The rectangular space is decorated with 26 religious scenes, all rendered in Byzantine-style mosaics:

We were especially taken by an homage to the Three Kings, a.k.a. the Three Wise Men...

...and a blingy portrait of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I.

Another stop during our walk was Dante's Tomb. Dane Alighieri, Italy's most famous poet, wrote The Divine Comedy in Ravenna and died in the city after catching malaria in 1321.