The National Museum of Ravenna

This museum was adjacent to the Church of San Vitale. Actually it felt like every location was just a step away from the last one. Many of the items were collected by monks, and the museum was of course an old monastery. Later pieces were sought and managed by the new Italian Government after the unification of Italy in 1860.

There are many roman artifacts, especially from the time when Ravenna was a major military port, and many people were brought to build and manage shipping.

Like this one, many of these are like family trees, with grandparents at the top, parents in the middle and children at the bottom (they die later); but the images are very good likeness so it is more like a family portrait!

In most roman cities, these stele (gravestones) were often set up along the roads leading into cities. In Ravenna, because it was such a marshy lagoon environment a bit like Venice, there were not good roads. Instead stele were set up along sand dunes. 

Eventually the coast silted up, so that today the coastline is 10 kilometres out to sea. 

Icons are well known from the medieval times. I particularly liked this one showing the 'tender Madonna', look at her halo!

There was a room of the only remaining frescoes from Ravenna, due to the very high water table. Below are two very special saints - Clare and Francis of Assisi. 

I could be certain of who they were as there was also a progression of named saints' head shots. The one below is definitely Saint Chiara (i.e. Clare).