What's a Neonian?, Another Apollinare, & Panicale (Eventually)

Today was up and out day in Ravenna. We again had a very nice hotel breakfast and then, prior to packing and so forth, decided to catch the last of the bigguns (that we knew about) in Ravenna.

Only a few blocks from the hotel was the Neonian Baptistry. Okay, yesterday we had the Arian Baptistry and a history lesson on the Arians but what's a Neonian? Had to dig for this one. Turns out that this building was completed under the sponsorship of Bishop Neon so he got the credit. This was much more complete than the Arian model and the work was, as usual, fantastic.

No pix here but on the way to and from the Baptistry we passed a horticultural (etc.) street fair with really interesting plants, many of which neither Nancy (which is saying something) nor I had seen. Somebody had apparently rescued old olive and fruit trees and was selling them as giant oxymoronic bonsais. Nancy pored over some lovely scarves but in the end opted to pass.

And back to the room to hurriedly pack and call our hostess for the evening. Along with her usual grace she just casually drops "have you seen the church outside the walls?"

It's a good thing we had a car because otherwise we would have missed Sant'Apollinare in Classe. Probably Galla Placida outdoes it spectacle-wise but this, in a church, had not only the execution but also the harmony and integration.  Fantatsic. In, basically, the middle of nowhere.

And so on to the autostrada. The surface was rough, the lanes narrow, and Italian traffic can be terrifying, particularly if you're not used to it. Again, having said this, Nancy's and my narratives would probably diverge. My unsuccessful attempt to find what appeared to be a great road off the autostrada didn't help a bit.

We did however, about two hours later than expected, arrive at Elida and Gunter's place in Panicale. It is absolutely gorgeous. It's like that Tuscan movie where the American divorcee buys a farmhouse ... you know the one, it's like that came to life only better. I was however quite tired on arrival and after a quick dinner I retired to type these notes. No pictures. Memorialization will have to wait until toorrow.