Adriatic Lagoons, Mosaics & End of Empire

INFO

7 days

from £2075 per person

Discover the hidden history of the Adriatic lagoons of Italy, and immerse yourself in the glorious mosaics of Ravenna and Aquileia. They tell the fascinating story of how the Western Roman Empire came to an end.

Highlights:

Delight in a plethora of glittering late Roman and Byzantine mosaics.
Get to know Ravenna, capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy, and the last capital of the Western Roman Empire.
Discover Aquileia, one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Roman Empire.
Explore the beautiful lagoonal island of Grado.
Get off the beaten track into the hidden towns of the Po Delta.
Enjoy a special, behind-the-scenes tour of the Ravenna mosaic restoration laboratory.

Dates & Prices:

07 – 13 March 2026. Only £2075. Booking open.

Single supplement only £270

Early booking is recommended.

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What’s Included:

Six nights hotel accommodation (see ‘Hotel’ tab above).
All breakfasts, one lunch and three evening meals (3 nights free to enjoy local restaurants).
Daily excursions with all entrances, transport and expert guiding (see ‘Itinerary’ tab above).
Flexible flight arrangements and airport transfers (see ‘Getting There’ tab above).

Tour Overview

The beautiful lagoons of Northern Italy include, most famously, that of Venice, but they actually occur along an extensive stretch of coastline, from Ravenna around the whole northern coast of the Adriatic to Aquileia, close to the border with Slovenia. In this tour we explore the hidden cultural heritage of this delightful, lesser-known region, staying two nights in Aquileia and four nights in Ravenna, and travelling south between the two through the quiet lagoons of the Po Delta.

The region’s thriving ports and safe lagoons played an important part in western history before the rise of medieval Venice. It is a fascinating story, told principally through a staggering collection of early Christian mosaics which reveal much about the Roman Empire at its end.

Aquileia today is a small town, but from the 1st to 4th centuries AD it was one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Roman Empire. This made it a prime target for attack by Attila the Hun in AD 452, and the city he destroyed is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the main archaeological sites of northern Italy with substantial remains and much still to be excavated.

Complete with its own navy and mint, by late Roman times Aquileia had also become the prestigious ecclesiastical seat of a powerful Patriarchate which played a key role in early Christianity. The 4th century basilica contains the largest and oldest Christian mosaic floor in the West, and the mosaic wonders continue in the early Christian Basilica of Saint Euphemia located on the lagoonal island of Grado, an area full of medieval charm and surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Adriatic.

Ravenna was crucially important in the Roman period for being the home of the Adriatic fleet, and in the 5th century it even superseded Rome, as the last capital of the Western Roman Empire. The city’s grandeur continued into the 6th century when it became the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom of Italy, and exarchate of the Byzantine Empire. Its well-preserved late Roman and Byzantine architecture is now a World Heritage Site, with a particularly high concentration of glittering mosaics. Indeed, Ravenna is often called the “capital of mosaics”.

Amid the beautiful lagoons of the Po Delta, we discover two more delightful historic towns: Pomposa, whose 6th century abbey contains a fantastic 14th century fresco by an anonymous follower of Giotto; and Commacchio, an enchanting lagoon town with a notable Ancient Delta Museum.

See the ‘Itinerary’ tab above for more details.

Mosaic Workshop

We have arranged a special, behind-the-scenes tour of the important mosaic restoration laboratory at the new Classis Ravenna Museum. Discover the secrets of mosaic restoration and artistic conservation, and experience close up the delicate work of the restorers of Ravenna’s wonderful artistic heritage.

: Aquileia's Roman Port [1]

: Aquileia's Basilica [2]

: Aquileia's Roman Forum [3]

Your Tour Director

Tom Abbott

Tom Abbott is an art and architectural historian with vast experience of guiding and lecturing. He is a native of Minnesota, USA, where he graduated in Psychology and Art History before moving to Europe in 1988, where he gained a Master of Arts in Art History at the Technical University of Berlin, and furthered his studies at the Louvre School of the History of Art in Paris. He lectures for numerous arts societies and alumni associations, and leads numerous special-interest tours throughout Europe, inspiring everyone with his encyclopedic knowledge of European art and architecture through history.

Activity Level

Our tours are good for your health. There is plenty of walking and fresh air, but the pace is always gentle and stops are frequent. This particular tour is in a flat region, with no hills or challenging gradients. It simply requires a reasonable level of mobility and independence. Feel free to ask us for more details.

Getting There

For flexibility we add flights on a personal basis, rather than booking group flights. This gives you complete freedom to choose when and how you travel, including your preferred departure airport, flight times, length of stay, airlines etc.

Why not extend your stay in the region, or perhaps reduce your carbon footprint by enjoying the journey to Italy by train instead.

We will be happy to help. See the ‘Getting There’ tab above for more details.

Travel More Sustainably

Did you know you can travel from the UK to Italy by train in a single day? Or why not stop off on the way? There’s a choice of routes, some fast and some slower but amazingly scenic. Why not go out one way and come back another?

Great scenery, room to breath, loads of legroom, cafes and bars, power sockets, free WiFi, no baggage fees, no 2-hour check-ins, no security queues…and around 80% less CO2 than a flight.

See the ‘Getting There’ tab above for more details.

What to Expect

All our tours include a full programme of expertly guided excursions and interesting talks to create an enriching travel experience. The emphasis is on both the cultural interest and the nature of the experience—focused but with time to relax and absorb it all.

We like to explore and get off the beaten track for special access to hidden gems and better integration with the local culture and economy. We keep our group sizes small (8–18 people) which enhances your experience and minimises adverse impacts on local communities. It is very relaxed and informal with no prior knowledge expected.

Click HERE for more about what to expect.

How To Book

Tours have minimum and maximum numbers of participants, so you will benefit from booking early; it secures your place and enables us to confirm your tour earlier. We keep our group sizes small, so tours can quickly fill but it is always worth checking for late availability.

Reservations & Enquiries: To reserve your place or enquire further simply click the “Book This Tour Now” button on the relevant tour page, and submit your details. You can also call us on (UK) 0121 444 1854, or email enquiries@hiddenhistory.co.uk.

There is no commitment and no payment at this stage; reservations are purely provisional until we have confirmed availability and proceeded with booking and payment.

Booking & Payment: Once we have checked availability, a deposit is required to secure your booking (£100 for UK tours, £250 for non-UK tours). We will email you a payment link which enables payment by credit card, debit card or bank transfer. Card payment can also be made by telephone (UK) 0121 444 1854.

Places and prices are guaranteed only with a deposit. Full payment is usually required 2 or 3 months ahead of the tour.

Financial Protection: Hidden History Travel is a member of the Travel Trust Association with membership number Q2398. This means that we provide you with the strongest consumer protection available in the travel industry. Any payments you make are 100% protected by the association to pay for your holiday or to reimburse you if we fail to provide it. Hidden History Travel also holds ATOL licence number 12463. This means that if you book your flights with us you will be protected if we or your airline cease trading.

See our booking conditions for further details.

BOOK THIS TOUR NOW

Image Attributes

[1] Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[2] ThePhotografer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[3] Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[Hero image] Vanni Lazzari, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

Day 1: Arrival

Travel to Aquileia and settle in to your hotel. Meet you tour director for a welcome meeting followed by an included three-course evening meal in the hotel restaurant.

Day 2: Aquileia and Grado

Whilst today a pleasant small town at the head of the Adriatic, in classical antiquity Aquileia was one of the largest cities in the world. It was founded as a Roman colony in 181 BC, and grew into a thriving lagoonal river port of strategic and commercial importance. By late Roman times, the emperors frequently resided here, and it was the prestigious ecclesiastical seat of a powerful Patriarchate which played a key role in early Christianity. Despite its sacking by Atilla the Hun, there are numerous ancient remains to be seen, dotted throughout the town, including the forum, markets, houses and the river port which brought amber from the Baltic to Rome. A highlight is the 4th century mosaic on the floor of the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, the largest and oldest Christian mosaic floor in the West. The town’s archaeological museum houses a splendid collection of mosaics, statues and amber jewelry.

We end the day on the beautiful lagoonal island of Grado, surrounded by the clear waters of the Adriatic. The winding medieval streets of this charming seaside town hide further mosaic treasures in the Basilica of Saint Euphemia and its adjacent church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. We include dinner this evening in one of Grado’s many delightful restaurants, before heading back to our hotel.

Day 3: Pomposa and Comacchio

This morning, we leave Aquileia and head to Ravenna, stopping en-route at two delightful historic towns set beside the beautiful lagoons of the Po Delta, just to the south of Venice and one of the most important wetlands in Europe.

At Pomposa, we find a delightful Benedictine abbey, an unexpected treasure of art and history hidden away on a green plain. Dating back to the 6th century, it became a flourishing monastic centre with impressive mosaic floors and a fantastic 14th century fresco by an anonymous follower of Giotto. Filled with angst emanating from the Black Death, the fresco depicts scenes from the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Apocalypse.

At Commacchio, we discover a true hidden gem of Italy, a small colourful town surrounded by enchanting waterways, with a unique network of bridges, small islands, and intricate canals that have earned it the nickname “Little Venice.” It also has a notable museum which preserves important remains from the ancient Po Delta, including a 2000 year old shipwreck.

Day 4: Ravenna

The home of the Roman Adriatic fleet, Ravenna became the capital of the Western Roman empire in the 5th century AD; thereafter it became the Ostrogothic capital of Italy, after Theodoric defeated the Visigoths who sacked Rome. The importance of the city at this time resulted in the commissioning of numerous, fabulously opulent churches. Today, the city, with its affluent shops lining stunning, historic streets, is brimming with beautiful sites and stunning food.

We start our exploration of Ravenna with the National Archaeological Museum, which retains priceless evidence of this port city, from the Augustan to the Ostrogothic period. We continue to the late antique Roman house called the Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra, which contains a number of well-preserved mosaics. After lunch, we make our way to the Arian Baptistery whose dome preserves a shimmering mosaic depiction of the baptism of Christ. We end with a visit to the Church of San Francesco where we see a late antique crypt whose mosaic floor is today covered in water.

Day 5: Classe

Today we focus on the ancient port area of Ravenna, known as Classe, which once housed the Roman Adriatic fleet and which made Ravenna the important city that it was. To make the most of this extensive archaeological park and museum, we include lunch today in a local restaurant, and we have arranged a special behind the scenes tour of the museum’s important mosaic restoration laboratory.

First, we stop on the outskirts to visit the Tomb of Theodoric, with its enormous dome, the most famous funerary construction of the Ostrogoths. Continuing to the heart of the ancient port, we discover a very well-presented archaeological site, with raised walkways providing panoramic views of the ancient docks, jetties, roads and warehouses.

After our included lunch, we visit the beautiful Basilica of Sant’Apollinare. Consecrated in 549 AD, and dedicated to Ravenna’s first bishop, the basilica is renowned for its splendid wall mosaics and magnificent architecture. We end the day at the new Classis Ravenna Museum, where we enjoy a special behind the scenes tour revealing the secrets of mosaic restoration and artistic conservation. Here, we experience close up the delicate work of the restorers of Ravenna’s wonderful artistic heritage.

Day 6: Ravenna

Today, we dedicate our time to Ravenna’s famous mosaics, located in its many late antique and Byzantine churches. We start the wondrous Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, dedicated by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric and altered by the Byzantine officials who took over the city in the 6th century. We walk a short distance to a late antique building which has traditionally been identified as Theodoric’s Palace and then continue to the jewel that is the Neonian Baptistery, built in the 5th century and decorated with some of the most splendid mosaics of the city. We end the morning with a visit to the Diocesan Museum which contains the Chapel of Sant’Andrea which is replete with mosaics, as well as precious remains such as an intricately carved ivory throne made for the Bishop Maximian in the 6th century AD. In the afternoon, we visit the famous Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, named after the sister of the Emperors Honorius and Arcadius who built a church of the Holy Spirit here. The mosaics in this small gem of a building are recognized by many as the most stupendous in the city. We end the day with a tour of the Basilica of San Vitale, built under Justinian and preserving the most famous mosaics of the Byzantine emperor and his colourful wife, Theodora.

This evening, we share a final dinner together, to celebrate our exploration of this enchanting area of northern Italy.

Day 7: Departure

Time to head home, or maybe see more of Italy first, carrying with us memories of new sites seen and new friends made.

Aquileia – 2 nights
Hotel Ai Patriarchi, Via G. Augusta 12, 33051 Aquileia.
Tel. +39 (0) 431 919595.
visitaquileia.com/en/hotel-patriarchi-uk

Set in an historic building in the heart Aquileia, with views of the basilica and archaeological area, this 23 room hotel is equipped with all modern conveniences, and is known for its personal service and home cooked cuisine.

Ravenna – 4 nights
Hotel NH Ravenna, Piazza Mameli 1, 48121 Ravenna.
Tel. +39 (0) 544 35762
www.nh-hotels.com/en/hotel/nh-ravenna

Recipient of the Traveller’s Choice Award for 2023, this 84 room hotel enjoys a prime spot in the middle of historic Ravenna, a short walk to all the shops and restaurants of the charming old town. The hotel’s own restaurant serves fine Italian cuisine, including traditional local dishes from the famous Emilia Romagna region.

Location: This tour begins in Aquileia and ends in Ravenna, which are about 4 hours apart by road or 6 hours by rail. Our hotels are centrally-located in both cities.

Flexibility: You are free to make your own travel arrangements, or you can book them with us. Rather than reserving group seats for a particular flight, we keep your flight options open to give you greater choice of price, departure airport, airline, flight times, cabin class, use of air miles etc. If you book your flights with us you will receive full ATOL protection (see below). Before booking any travel of your own please ensure we have confirmed your tour and your place on it.

By Air: The nearest airport to Aquileia is Trieste (c.20 mins), and the nearest airport to Ravenna is Bologna (c.1 hr), so we recommend flying out to Trieste and back from Bologna. Alternatively, you can use Venice airport which is about 1 hr 15 mins from Aquileia and 2 hrs 15 mins from Ravenna.

Transfers: If you book one of our recommended flights, we will also include your transfers in Italy between the airport and the hotel.

By Train: Make the most of your journey while helping the planet at the same time. The railway station for Aquileia is called Cervignano-Aquileia-Grado Railway Station, and is about a 10 minute taxi ride from our hotel. The railway station in Ravenna is a 5 minute walk from our hotel.

We recommend taking a look at an excellent website called “The Man in Seat 61”. Here you will find all the details you need for getting to Italy from the UK by train. You can get there in a single day, but there is a choice of routes so why not enjoy the scenery and stop off at some interesting places along the way?

What is ATOL Protection? The ATOL scheme (which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection that protects you when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It protects you and your money if we, or the airline you booked with us, cease trading, before or whilst you’re on holiday. This means you will be able to claim your money back or continue your holiday and be repatriated. It is separate to travel insurance.

Hidden History Travel holds ATOL licence number 12463.

: Aquileia's Roman Port [1]

: Aquileia's Basilica [2]

: Aquileia's Roman Forum [3]

: Aquileia's Basilica [4]

: Detail of mosaic from Aquileia [5]

: Mosaic from Basilica Sant'Apollinare [6]

: Ravenna Basilica of Sant'Apollinare [7]

: Ravenna's Roman Port [8]

: Ravenna's Roman Port [9]

: Comacchio, Po Delta [10]

: Pomposa, Po Delta [11]

: Mosaic of Theodora [12]

Image Attributes

[1] Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[2] ThePhotografer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[3] Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[4] Velvet, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[5] Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[6] FrDr, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[7] Username.Ruge, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[8] Clawsb, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[9] Ukko.de, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[10] Vanni Lazzari, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[11] Maurizio Moro5153, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[12] Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

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