The Basilica of San Vitale is Ravenna's greatest monument and one of the finest surviving examples of Byzantine art and architecture in the world. Built in the 6th century under the patronage of Emperor Justinian, it is an octagonal structure of deceptive complexity — the exterior is plain brick, but the interior is a blaze of gold, green, and blue mosaic that covers every surface of the apse and chancel.
The famous mosaic panels showing Justinian and his empress Theodora are the centrepiece: life-sized figures in imperial regalia, their faces rendered with individual features unusual for the period, arranged in formal procession with court officials, clergy, and guards. These are among the finest portrait mosaics ever made, and looking at them for any length of time reveals details — the suggestion of movement in a hem, the careful hierarchy of body positions — that reproduce photographs completely fail to capture.
The light changes through the day as the sun moves around the octagon, and the mosaics respond differently to morning and afternoon light. Come at opening and stay long enough to watch the light shift. The combined ticket covering all eight UNESCO monuments is good value.