Ravenna by Oscar Wilde. Short summary

5 seconds

As a young man Wilde made a trip to Ravenna. He marvels at the Italian city’s glorious past and marvels at its present desolation.

1 minute

As a student, Oscar Wilde took a trip to Italy. He was struck by the southern March, when, unlike in his homeland, the trees were already unfurling their leaves and the gardens were covered with flowers. But it was not the difference in climate that was the writer’s main shock on this trip. He visited Ravenna, a city in the province of Emilia-Romagna.

Earlier, in the 5th century, Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, a mighty state encompassing northern Africa and the British Isles, Wilde’s homeland. One can only guess what a flourishing, lush city it was in those days!

Later, in the 6th century, Ravenna became the capital of the Kingdom of Ostgoth. Theodorix, leader of the Goths, lived here. Ravenna did not lose its importance under the Huns either.

In the Middle Ages Dante Alighieri found refuge in Ravenna, banished from his native Florence, which now in vain demands the ashes of the great poet — his tomb is in Ravenna.

In the poem Wilde marvels at how provincial and quiet this great city has now become.