Adriatic Treasures

Ravenna is a peaceful, provincial-looking town whose somber building facades belie a wealth of riches accumulated when Ravenna was the imperial city, the Byzantium of the West. After the division of the Roman Empire in 395, Rome was already in decline. In 404, Honorius made Ravenna the capital of the Roman Empire. Honorius' sister, Galla Placidia, lavishly governed the Western Empire before the Goths invasions. In 540, under the rule of Justinian, Ravenna, long involved in trade with the Greek world, came under Byzantine rule. The most remarkable legacy of the Byzantium era are the many wonderful mosaics, regarded as the finest in Europe, which adorn the city's ecclesiastical buildings. Their bright colors, richness of decoration and symbolism are evocative of a great spirituality. Ancient and modern mosaics and figures remain an import art form in the city.

From walled Piran, visit a medieval church with a fresco of the Danse Macabre, the UNESCO-cited caves of Skocjan, or Lipica stud farms, the home of the famed Lippizaner horses.

Trogir is a town on the central Adriatic coast of Croatia. Its preserved old town, known for its mix of Renaissance, baroque and Romanesque buildings, lies on a small island connected to the mainland and the island of Čiovo by bridges. The 13th-century Cathedral of St. Lawrence houses the Renaissance Chapel of St. John and offers sweeping views from its bell tower. Parts of the medieval city walls remain intact.

Set on a peninsula between two arms of the Adriatic Sea, Brindisi was an important port of the Roman Empire, and later for the East India Company. In the 2nd century BC the Appian Way was built, linking the port to Rome, and a column near the harbor marks the end of that famous route. It is here that in 71 BC, the gladiator Spartacus led thousands of rebel slaves in an unsuccessful escape. Today visitors find Romanesque churches, a 13th-century castle and, in the surrounding Apulia region, remains of ancient Messapian culture.

Founded in the 7th century, Dubrovnik rose to greatness as a merchant state, independent republic and cultural crossroads. The traffic-free Old Town has been called a Croatian Athens. This UNESCO designated World Heritage Site is a living museum of the ages with fortifications, chapels, monastic cloisters and Europe's second-oldest synagogue crowded into its ancient walls. Relax at a sidewalk café, listen to the chimes of the 14th-century bell tower or join the promenade down the palace-lined avenue known as the Stradun.

"The gods wanted to crown their creation so on the last day they turned tears, stars and the sea breeze into the isles of Kornati." Thus wrote George Bernard Shaw referring to the largest archipelago in the Mediterranean, the islands, islets, and reefs of the Dalmatian coast. Korcula, the town and port on an island of the same name, could be called a Dubrovnik in miniature. Situated at the most strategic point of the island, along ancient sea trade routes, it has always attracted travellers and settlers. It is a window onto thousands of years of European culture; down through the centuries Hellenic, Roman, Illyrian, Croatian and Venetian civilizations have all left their mark. The Trojan hero Antenor was the legendary founder of the island, and it is well known as the birthplace of that great traveler, seaman, and explorer - Marco Polo. Inside the town walls is a diversity of architecture which has remained untouched through the centuries. Wander through its narrow lanes, visit the gothic cathedral of St. Marco, take a peek at Marco Polo's birthplace, or climb one of the impressive towers built into the city walls.

The popular seaside Croatian town of Zadar has long been renowned for its architecture - combining Venetian and Roman ruins with religious buildings dating back to the ninth century.

Ravenna is a peaceful, provincial-looking town whose somber building facades belie a wealth of riches accumulated when Ravenna was the imperial city, the Byzantium of the West. After the division of the Roman Empire in 395, Rome was already in decline. In 404, Honorius made Ravenna the capital of the Roman Empire. Honorius' sister, Galla Placidia, lavishly governed the Western Empire before the Goths invasions. In 540, under the rule of Justinian, Ravenna, long involved in trade with the Greek world, came under Byzantine rule. The most remarkable legacy of the Byzantium era are the many wonderful mosaics, regarded as the finest in Europe, which adorn the city's ecclesiastical buildings. Their bright colors, richness of decoration and symbolism are evocative of a great spirituality. Ancient and modern mosaics and figures remain an import art form in the city.