Ravenna is a treasure trove of art, history and culture, a city that was not only the major political and cultural centre of the West during the decline of Latin civilisation, but was also the capital three times, leaving splendid evidence of its glorious past. This is why its early Christian and Byzantine religious buildings, which preserve the richest heritage of mosaics from the 5th and 6th centuries, have been recognised by Unesco as a World Heritage Site. This volume illustrates two of the city's most extraordinary treasures: the Basilica of San Vitale, inside which the Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora wanted to be portrayed together with their court, and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, with its star-studded vault and the atmosphere of absorbed recollection that hovers from the marvellous mosaic decoration.