Bologna

Bologna: a city of art Bologna is unusual for the consistency of the urban structure within its medieval walls, which were built in the fourteenth century. This urban structure is still intact and dominates, even visually, the single architectural works of art. In Florence and in Rome, the individual buildings are more important than the layout of the cities, whereas in Bologna the reverse is true. Here, even the most beautiful Renaissance and Baroque palaces are part of the medieval city plan, which extends like the spokes of a wheel from the heart of the city (marked by the two leaning towers, Asinelli and Garisenda).

Mausoleo di Galla Placidia

Approaching the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia it is not imagined that the simplicity of the exterior hides in a few square meters such splendid mosaics, the oldest in Ravenna. We do not exaggerate if we say that the atmosphere of the Mausoleum is magical. The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna The Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna It was Emperor Honorius (who moved the capital of the western empire from Milan to Ravenna in 402) who wanted this mausoleum to dedicate it to his sister Galla Placidia. The theme of the mosaics, in fact, is the victory of life over death, in accordance with the funeral destination of the building. But it is the starry sky reproduced on the vault that most strikes the visitors' imagination and remains etched forever in the eyes. It seems that the same thing happened to Cole Porter, who went to Ravenna on his honeymoon in the late 1920s. The story goes that it was the starry sky of the mausoleum that inspired the famous Night and Day.