Classe
The history of Classe
Classe is a small hamlet in the municipality of Ravenna, located on the Adriatic coast of Emilia-Romagna. Its name derives from the Latin word "Classis", meaning "naval fleet". In fact, during the Roman Empire, there was a port in the area that housed a permanent fleet of the Roman navy. During the Byzantine Empire, the port became the main base of the fleet of Constantinople in the West. Today, Classe is a small town with only 1,989 inhabitants.
Monuments of Classe
Despite its small size, Classe has one of the most famous monuments in Emilia-Romagna. It is the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, a masterpiece of early Christian art. In 1996, the basilica was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, within the serial site "Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna". In 2015, the basilica was the most visited monument in Emilia-Romagna with 157,736 visitors.
Culture in Classe
In Classe, there is the "Classis Ravenna – Museum of the City and Territory", a museum that tells the story of the area, from Roman times to the contemporary age. The museum is housed in the former sugar refinery. Also, the pine forest of Classe, located on the Adriatic coast, was mentioned by Dante Alighieri in Canto XXVIII verses 19-21 of the "Purgatorio (Divine Comedy)".
Classe in literature
The pine forest of Classe was the setting of a novella in the "Decameron" by Giovanni Boccaccio. The protagonist of the story, Nastagio degli Onesti, sees a naked woman pursued by a black knight and torn apart by two dogs every Friday as punishment for not loving a man who, for love, had committed suicide for her.
Infrastructure and transport in Classe
On August 3, 1900, the extension of the Forlì-Ravenna tramway to Classe was inaugurated, mainly for the traffic generated by the local sugar refinery; the tramway remained in operation until 1929. Today, there is still a railway station in Classe. Public transport is provided by bus services operated by the company START Romagna.
In general, Classe is a small place but has a very interesting history. If you are in the area, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe is definitely worth a visit. Also, the museum of the city and territory is an interesting stop to learn about the history of Emilia-Romagna. If you are a literature fan, you can look for the pine forest of Classe, the setting of one of the stories of the "Decameron".
