Museu Ravenna National Museum

The Museo nazionale di Ravenna is located in the former Benedictine monastery of S. Vitale. The atmosphere of the two cloisters makes the route pleasant. Climbing up the 18th century staircase, visitors pass through the old cells, dormitories and halls of the abbey. The original collection came from the abbeys of the city: the collections, which became public, formed the first museum of the city, which became a national museum at the end of the 19th century. The heritage has been enriched by donations and excavated materials. Among the exhibits from the Roman period, the most famous are the Relief of Augustus and the Hermes of Milziades. The museum is original due to the early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Ravenna. Among the most prestigious exhibits are the marble capitals, the transenna of San Vitale and the preparatory sinopia for the mosaic of Sant'Apollinare. Applied arts, from textiles to ivories, are also part of the heritage. The collection of Ivories is the most famous, with prestigious artefacts ranging from Byzantine art to the 19th century. The collection of icons, dating from the late 14th to the 18th century, is also remarkable. Other important exhibits are the fine Renaissance bronzes, the ceramics, with a rich group of decorated majolica, and the collection of weapons and armour. The museum also houses an important 14th-century fresco cycle, a masterpiece by Pietro da Rimini, removed from the ancient church of S. Chiara.