Ravenna and the sea
The city of Ravenna shares a millenary relation with the sea. The presence of several watercourses made possible the building of a harbour by emperor Augustus, who took advantage of the area’s conformation and relocated the imperial fleet at Classis.
Chart depicting the ancient coastline
Because of the hydrological conditions of the area of Ravenna, the roman harbour was progressively silted.
In the VIII century, following the landfill of Classis’s harbour, at least five new ports appeared in the area; Porto del Primaro, Porto del Cortellazzo, Porto Leone, Porto Lacherno and Porto Candiano, a little south of Classis.
In the XIII century, following the progressive coastline advancement, only the Porto Candiano remains of these five harbours, at least until the XV century.
The Portus Candiani was implemented in the XV century, under the venetian domination;
Following a series of hydraulic works between 1732 and 1733, who brought to the deviation of the course of the Ronco and Montone rivers, the problem of the creation of an alternative waterway linking the city to the sea arose.
In 1737 began the excavation of the new Corsini canal, who took its name from Clement XII Corsini; the inhabitants of Ravenna, however, preferred to refer it as the “Candian” canal, thus giving to the new port the name of the old one.
From that moment Ravenna was committed to rediscover all of the potential in the relation between the city and the sea.
Even popular culture was involved in the rediscovery of the sea; the habit of going to Porto Corsini in order to have lunch in one of the several inns or to frequent the first bathhouses of became increasingly widespread.
A true improvement in the relation between Ravenna and the ship only happened after World War II, when several individuals realized how it was possible to link the port improvement to the industrial development of the area. Key figures of this process were Luciano Cavalcoli, Benigno Zaccagnini (the two breakwaters of Ravenna’s harbour were dedicated to both of them), ed Enrico Mattei.
Cavalcoli and Zaccagnini realized the importance of the discovery of big methane deposits offshore of the coast of Ravenna: thanks to these deposits it was possible to persuade Enrico Mattei’s ENI to invest in the construction of a vast industrial facility.
Thus the sea played once again an important role for Ravenna.
Thanks to the sea, Ravenna and its harbour have recovered a long lost importance.
