Cripta Rasponi e Giardini Pensili

The Rasponi Crypt and Hanging Gardens preserve fragments of Ravenna's former Rasponi palace beside Piazza San Francesco. The crypt's mosaic pavement includes spolia from the sixth-century Basilica of San Severo at Classe, while a laurel installation on the terrace honours Dante.

Why it matters

The crypt is described by Ravenna's municipal tourism portal as the only authentic surviving remnant of the Rasponi palace. The terrace above forms a planted belvedere beside the square associated with Dante's burial. In 2021, the “Un Alloro per Dante” project added a contemporary laurel installation in honour of the poet.

What to notice

The vaulted crypt contains a mosaic floor made with reused material from San Severo, including ornamental and animal motifs. A stone sphere bears the inscription “Sic vita pendet ab alto.” Above, the garden terrace includes cypresses, boxwood, laurel and a circular fountain. A vaulted gallery built in 1839 once linked the palace to its stables.

Context and history

The gardens and crypt are associated with the former palace of Count Ferdinando Rasponi. In the late nineteenth century the building became the Hotel Byron. In 1918, cooperative leader Nullo Baldini acquired it for the Federation of Cooperatives. Fascist squads led by Italo Balbo and Dino Grandi set it on fire in 1922. The Palazzo della Provincia was built between 1925 and 1928 in a neo-Romanesque style with Byzantine references. The surviving crypt and garden preserve traces of the earlier palace within this later civic complex.