Archive for ravenna
Mosaics of Byzantium in Ravenna
Posted by: | Comments
As a side trip to the salt flats of Cervia a few weeks ago, we drove north along the Adriatic coast to the town of Ravenna to see its famous mosaics and eat some fabulous pasta from that region. Now a quiet city in Emilia-Romagna, in the 400’s Ravenna was the capitol of the Western Roman Empire, and from the mid 500’s to late 700’s it was the seat of the Byzantine government in Italy. It is one old city and the Byzantine mosaics that remain to adorn the churches and basilicas are simply breathtaking. 
(*All of the images in this blog are mosaic, not paintings)
Mosaics are pictures or images done with small pieces of colored tile, glass or stone and were widely used to adorn floors, churches and homes in the ancient world. They date from as early as 1500 BC and excellent examples can still be found in Roman ruins throughout Europe and Asia.
During the Renaissance mosaic work took a back seat to frescoes, but the 1800’s brought a renewed interest in mosaic art. The Vatican in Rome has long had a museum and workshop. I remember visiting it when I was a little girl and being astounded even then at the detail the artists could achieve with little pieces of colored tiles. From far away many mosaics look like beautiful paintings and it’s only when you get up close that you see the artist has used thousands of tiny tiles to “paint” the picture.
The chapel at Castello Brolio has some amazing examples on either sides of the altar.
If you are lucky enough to be in Emilia Romagna, don’t forget to order whatever homemade pasta is on the menu and plan a day to see the incredible mosaics of this once important city.
Ancient Salt Flats of Italy
Posted by: | Comments
I recently went to visit the oldest remaining salt flat on the mainland of Italy, Cervia in Emilia Romagna. Up on the east coast, sandwiched between the ancient town of Ravenna with its amazing Byzantine mosaics and the chic beach town of Rimini with its discos and crowded beaches, Cervia is a quiet marsh that has been used for salt production since the Etruscan times.
Less than 800 yards inland, the salt flats produce a beautiful, sweet white salt (sale dolce) that is hand raked and evaporated in the full sun of the summer. From June to September, water from the sea is fed by canals into large, shallow flats, and allowed to concentrate until it is more than 75% saltier than seawater. Only one of the original 150 salt flats holds to the traditional methods, but it is still possible to see the locals raking and drying the salt in the sun. You can purchase sacks of this moist, sweet salt at the visitors center or by ordering online from Salina di Cervia.
Salt is getting a bad rap these days, and unjustly so. It is the only mineral that we eat and it’s the one ingredient that is common among all the cuisines of the world. Salt is crucial to our survival and has been the source of unrest and wars throughout our history.
Sea salt is a whole food made not of just sodium chloride but of a myriad of minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, and trace minerals like selenium, boron and iodine. When salt is processed (kosher, table salt) all the other minerals are taken out and just sodium chloride remains. An anti-caking agent is then added. Industrially processed salt can lead to a state of imbalance in the body, which in turns leads to disease.
If you’re as interested in salt as I am, check out the salt guru, Mark Bitterman, on his salt blog: www.saltnews.com. He also has a fabulous book called “Salted: A Manifesto on the World’s Most Essential Mineral”. Another good read on the history of salt is Mark Kurlansky’s “SALT”.
For your own visit to the salt flats, contact the visitors center below:
Parco della Salina di Cervia
Via Salara, 6
Cervia (Ravenna)
Tel. +39 0544.971765
www.salinadicervia.it
