Loading...In every city we visited, there was some sort of multiple-admission ticket scheme- (“Padova Card”, “Verona Card”, “Hello Venezia!”) typically allowing admission to a variety of sites as well as unlimited access to public transportation. Ravenna was no exception. While these schemes are a great way to save money on admission fees, they can have an inadvertent side effect of encouraging a kind of score-keeping mentality- as-in, “we’re gonna cram in every damn site on this card if kills us, ’cause we already paid for it”. Similarly, they tend to dissuade one from going to sites not on the ticket, as-in “we paid for this damn ticket and I’m not paying for anything else”.
The Neonian Baptisry was on our ticket. The Arian Baptisty was not. We first went to the Neonian Baptistry- a small octagonal building with a baptismal font in the center. Not only was it exquisitely decorated, but the good people of Ravenna were kind enough to set up chairs all the way around the perimeter, so we could sit in different spots and comfortably study all the details of the Baptistry’s four niches and dome. While it was beautiful and well preserved, it was the fourth monument we saw and the final one on our ticket, so my eyes were getting a bit glazed over. After we left, we checked Lauren’s list of monuments and noticed the Arian Baptistry. It wasn’t on our ticket so the petty little scorekeeper in me was reluctant to go, but since it was more or less on the way back to the hotel, we decided to check it out anyhow. When we arrived, I was surprised to see no ticket booth or turnstiles- just a guy outside who may have been a guard standing around chatting with passerbys (which I think is known as “working” in Italy). Evidently admission was free, and as we entered the building and looked around at the plain stone walls, it seemed worth every penny. Until I looked up and was blown away by the radiant golden dome. The theme was very similar to the dome of the Neonian Baptisry, but the style was simpler and the dominant color was gold rather than blue. The simple, clear decoration of the golden dome blasted through the haze settling in my mind after a day of sight-seeing and left me deeply moved and rejuvenated.
So, ok, maybe the moral of the story is to not be uptight about going to stuff that’s not on the ticket. Or maybe it’s to always remember to look up,or that just because something has the word “Arian” in the title, doesn’t automatically make it evil. More than likely, there is no moral, just another magnificent site and incredible memory indelibly carved in my mind.
The best way to view the pictures (in my opinion) is to click on the first one which opens a larger view, then click Next in that new window. This way you can also read the captions.
