Ravenna

Ravenna, the capital of the Italian province of the same name, stands four miles from the shore of the Adriatic, with which it is connected by a canal, the rivers Ronco and Montone having silted up. Founded by Greeks, it was conquered by Rome about 191 B.C. Honorius transferred his court there in the 5th century, and, on its capture by the Ostrogoths, Theodoric took up his abode in a vast palace the name of which still remains. After many vicissitudes it became an independent republic in the 13th century, passing later into the power of the Popes, and being incorporated with Italy in 1859. There are 13 churches, including the cathedral, St. Vitale, and Sta. Maria Rotunda, which date from the 4th to the 6th century. The Roman Porta Aurea, the tombs of Honorius, Valentinian III., Dante, the pillar of Gaston de Foix, and the statues of the Popes in the market-place are among the many memorials of the past.