A Day at Ravenna E-Book

Henry Theodore Tuckerman

• Herausgeber: Full Well Ventures
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

A day's tour of Ravenna, a city in central Italy, near the coast of the Adriatic Sea, is described in this travelogue article from the famous American author, Henry Theodore Tuckerman (1813-1871). Ravenna sites described include the tomb of Dante, fortifications remaining from an 18th century war, mausoleum of Theodoric, and the mausoleum of Galla Placida.

Leseprobe

A Day at Ravenna

© 2020 Full Well Ventures

On the cover: Detail from the interior of the mausoleum of Galla Placida.

Originally published in January 1839 issue of “The Knickerbocker” magazine

KNICKERBOCKER

A Day at Ravenna

ON A GLOOMY evening, I found myself crossing the broad plains contiguous to the ancient city of Ravenna. These extensive fields serve chiefly for pasturing, and their monotonous aspect is only diversified by a few stunted trees and patches of rice. Nearer the Adriatic, however, the eye is relieved by the appearance of a noble forest of pines, which extends for the space of several miles along the shore. The branches of these trees, as is common in Italy, have been, by repeated trimmings, concentrated at the top; and most of them being lofty, a complete canopy is formed, beneath which one walks in that woodland twilight so peculiar and impressive. The effect is enhanced here, by the vicinity of the sea, whose mournful anthem or soothing music mingles with the wind-hymns of the forest aisles. As we emerged from a magnificent church that stands in the midst of this solitude, the interior columns of which were transported from Constantinople, no living object disturbed the profound repose of the scene, but a group of fine cattle, instinctively obeying the intimations of nature, and slowly returning to their domiciles. I found no difficulty in realizing that this scenery, when arrayed in the dreamy influences of such an hour, should prove congenial to the poetic mood, and wondered not that Byron, during his long residence at Ravenna, found so much pleasure in coursing through this quiet country, and along the adjacent shore.