“Palatium. Palazzo di Teodorico, Ravenna” (ENG) “Palatium. Theodorici imperial palace in Ravenna”

The study provides an analytic research on archeological surveys conducted in the past about an area of the city of Ravenna - specifically close to the church of Saint Apollinare Nuovo- in order to trace the evolution of this urban archeological palimpsest. Parallel to that, this investigation proposes a comparative analysis of one important architectural type belonged to the antiquity, that was the “palatium”. Since the 402 AD Ravenna became the “sedes regia” and capital of the Byzantine exarchate as well. Particularly, under the Theodorico’s reign huge works of renovation, new urban facts (like churches and palaces) and infrastructures transformed significantly the city. At the turn of the XX century, the ruins of the prestigious Theodorico’s imperial palace were entirely buried, after the taking away of all the mosaics made by the archeologists and Ravenna citizenships. The aim of the strategic designing project and management of the archeological site is to dig up the ancient ruins and, consequently, replace the mosaics in the original position. The result is a “temporal frame” - in other words a hypogeum exhibition space- in the contemporary urban fabric, capable of improving the quality of the archaeological site through the provision of infrastructures and services for reception, research and cultural activities.