Ravenna mosaics
 

Is it worth to go to Ravenna to see the mosaics. If so, apaproximately how long does it take to visit? We visited Italy last year and saw many locations with beautiful mosaics, so I am just wondering how much better these are? Thank you,

Ravenna's mosaics are about the most famous in the world so I would say it is worth it!

What would be an average time to spend there?

To tell the truth, you don't sound excited about the prospect, so why bother?

The Byzantine mosaics are a cornerstone of medieval art. In at least one example, you can clearly see the transition from classical technique. Look at some pictures online. Do you think you'd like to see the originals?

If so, plan on spending about 3 to 4 hours in Ravenna, minimum.

I spent about 2 hours looking at the mosaics back in June of 1998.

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

I would echo what the others said. I visited there in 2004, and those mosaics make my "top 10 ever" list of sights I have seen in my life, up there with the cave paintings at Font du Gaume in the Dordogne and Sagrada Familia (and other things I can't remember right now).

In comparison to the mosaics that I've seen since visiting Ravenna, primarily in Rome, I appreciated those in Ravenna more. In Ravenna, most of the buildings that the mosaics are in are much smaller, so you are much closer to them - in some places, a few feet. And, like San Marco in Venice, the buildings in Ravenna with mosaics are covered primarily in mosaics, not just one lunette in a chapel. And, as already pointed out, these mosaics were created very early in Christian history (earlier than the mosaics in San Marco, and earlier than most of the stuff in Rome). So they capture a moment in history where Christianity was still being developed. Jesus is shown, for example, in the robes of a Roman senator, standing in the post of a Roman senator, and clean-shaven.

But if you're not into this kind of stuff, don't force yourself to go. It's only important to see if you want to be seeing them.

Looking at them takes a couple of hours. Seeing them is another matter.

It's all a matter of one's interests - is a Mozart concert worth a few hours? Not always, and not to everyone.

If you found the previous mosaics you've seen to be beautiful, take a chance: you now have a standard by which to judge these, which ekscrunchy correctly calls the most famous in the world. You could find it hard to tear yourself away.

I've been to Ravenna twice to see the mosaics, and haven't regretted one moment. They are really breathtaking, mostly in original settings, and because of Ravenna's situation, the sights are nowhere near as crowded as Venice, Florence or Rome.
I admit I have a special interest in Christian art, but I challenge anyone with even a passing interest in art not to be awe-struck with the splendour of these early-Christian mosaics. The highlights are Galla Placidia Mausoleum, churches of St Vitale and St Apollinare-in-Classe and the Arian and Neonian Baptistries - all World Heritage Sites.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenna, with links to indivual sights.

Tidy, the LW and I are not ones to go out of our way to see every cathedral, museum, etc. we pass by, but last week we had the most enjoyable time in Ravenna. We spent about 4 hours viewing the mosaics. You could sit from time to time, and they were incredible! Since we spent Saturday night there, we also got to enjoy being in the crowd of locals who arrived in the old town starting around 17:30. For us Ravenna and its mosaics were a high point of this year's trip.

My friend and I spent about 3 hours there. If I remember correctly there's only 4 seperate buildings that house the mosaics. They are stunning and I am glad I saw them.

Oh, I am sorry that I misled you about interest, I just need an approximate time to tour so that I can plan accordingly. Our adult kids will be with us and their time is much more limited than ours so I want to be very careful with their time. Thanks.

There are more than 4 buildings in Ravenna with mosaics, but some may be considered more important to see than others. You can set your own priorities. The majority are in the town center and walkable from one another.

My first visit to Ravenna was a daytrip from Bologna. Arriving about 10:30AM, we were able to have a leisurely wander from sight to sight, stop for a nice lunch, and then visit the rest. We even fit in a ride to St Apollinaire in Classe, a short local bus ride away, for some of the most magnificent mosaics, before catching a 5PM train back to Bologna.

Thanks for all of your help.