Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita,
Mi ritrovai per una selva oscura,
Che la diritta via era smarrita.

When I had journeyed half of our life's way,
I found myself within a shadowed forest,
for I had lost the path that does not stray.

D. Alighieri
Inferno

Today, we went to see this

Well worth the long drive, the getting lost in Ravenna - Sally the "evil, lying b**chqueen from Hell" (sat nav) did it again and was almost thrown from the window, with only the thought of the huge fine awaiting those caught flinging untruthful, maleficent sat navs from their car window acting as a deterrent.
Oooh, it was lovely. Even The Child thought so:
"Can we go to the gift shop now...?"
and, in front of a large piece of mosaic art - part of the permanent displays in the gallery:
"You know when I got sick and vomited all those peas? We-elllll..."

She is a philistine! A blimmin' heathen! And she only redeemed herself by requesting and singing "Highway to Hell" on the way home.

No photos were allowed and the catalogue wasn't as good as it might have been, but I did remember to take note of my favourites - sans titles (idiot!), so erm... sorry.

We also went to pay our respects to Il Sommo Poeta, whose remains are in Ravenna, in a tiny mausoleum, with a park containing the various mounds or pieces of wall in which said remains were hidden on different occasions. Bizarre!

Best bit: the crypt underneath the Basilica of San Francesco...well worth the queue to see the mosaics in the crypt: they are under water and the water is full of goldfish! Naturally, the good monks of this parish have the crypt light on a timer, which only accepts 50-cent coins!