The three best places to view mosaic art in Ravenna

The austere façade of many of Ravenna’s early Christian buildings hide the golden richness of exquisite mosaics. Three in particular—the Galla Placidia Mausoleum, the Arian Baptistery and the Church of San Vitale—house jaw-dropping artwork from the three greatest periods in the history of Ravenna: the Western Roman Empire, the Ostrogoth reign, and the Byzantine Exarchate.