Travel and Culture in
Emilia Romagna
Ravenna history
The origins of Ravenna date back to the lagoon settlements, which had first been Etruscan and later became Umbrian
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The origins of Ravenna date back to the lagoon settlements, which had first been Etruscan and later became Umbrian. It was a Roman colony in the 2nd century B.C. and it was chosen as capital of the Western Empire in 402, to become then a junction and a passage from the Byzantine to the Roman culture. After the fall of the Empire, Ravenna became the capital of Odoacre’s reign and, then, of Theodoric’s one, thus achieving its role as a Byzantine power in Italy (553-751). In the Middle Ages the relationships with the East finished and so the town faced a period of deep decay and isolation.
This period finished only in 1400, with the Venetian domination, when the town reached again its splendour and developed again, especially from the urbanistic point of view.
From the 16th century on, Ravenna was included into the Papal States, that would govern it for three centuries and a half, leading it to the decay again. The only positive aspects were: the opening of Corsini canal harbour in 1738, the deviation of the rivers Ronco and Montone to the South of the town and the building of the road to Forlì.
The last stage of development took place in the second postwar period, with the discovery of methane bodies, which allowed the town’s social and economic development, too. In fact today a modern settlement is present around the town, towards Porto Corsini, constituted by a vast industrial area, which is active in the chemical and petrochemical fields.