Before the CISSR meeting, I took the opportunity to spend two days in Ravenna. Of course, I had already seen those (not that) early Christian monuments and had admired the mosaics countless times in reproductions. Yet, experiencing them in person, in their original setting, was — again —truly overwhelming.
I also seized the chance to visit Sant’Apollinare in Classe, which I had seen only once before almost twenty years ago. Although Trenitalia did its utmost best to prevent me (trains run only every three hours), I simply could not resist.
As expected, the basilica, with its richly decorated green, idyllic landscape, was stunning. The succession of Ravennate bishops below the apse mosaic and the court scene, however, had previously escaped my attention. The sarcophagi on display are typical examples of Ravennate Christian funerary culture from the 6th and 7th centuries. Yet, after one hour, I had finished exploring the basilica.
To kill the remaining two hours until the next train, I decided to visit the Museo di Classe. The museum, a former sugar factory, aims to showcase the history of the city of Classe. Classe served as the headquarters of the Adriatic imperial fleet during the Principate and later as the harbor for the capital of the Western Roman Empire and, subsequently, the Byzantine Exarchate. With the arrival of the Lombards, however, its importance quickly faded, and it remained a small, insignificant settlement just five kilometers from Ravenna.
The museum was very informative, depicting the rise and fall of a city always overshadowed by the mighty Ravenna. Yet, as its harbor, the destinies of both cities were closely linked. Unsurprisingly, Classe had a significant immigrant population, as documented by many military inscriptions. A timeline provided good orientation, and the objects gave an impression of the economic activities and civic life in Classe. Two rooms are also devoted to the basilica, shedding light on mosaic technique and recreating an impression of its now-lost mosaic floor.
As I left the museum, the words of a dear Italian friend came to mind. After museum visits to pre-modern exhibitions in Northwestern Europe, she would often complain that curators there once again managed to create an exhibition “out of nothing”. That is, without any significant material artifacts on display. It seems she never visited the Museo di Classe.