History

The history of the Port of Ravenna, thanks to its geographical position, dates back to the 1st century B.C. when Emperor Augusto chose it for the stationing of one of his two imperial fleets.

Even after the Empire's decline in the 3rd century, the port kept active and entered a further golden age during the Byzantine dominion as the mosaics of S. Apollinare Nuovo bear witness.

Since then, the port has been silted up, damaged by floods and, as a consequence, it has been moved from one side of the lagoon to the other surrounding the town.

The Papal States put an end to this situation and to the decline which followed. In 1738, the Corsini Port (named after Pope Clemente XII), an 11 km. long canal which reaches the town from the sea, started up its activity.

The development of the Port of Ravenna as an important international port dates back to the post war period, when refineries and petrochemical plants, linked to the discovery of extensive gas fields offshore from Ravenna, were located on the port's banks.

Since the oil crisis of the 70s, the commercial characteristics of the port have been accentuated and, thanks to private operators, new specialised terminals handling bulk cargo, general cargo and containers, have been set up next to the terminals already operating.

Nowadays, the Port of Ravenna is a large structure which can offer a wide range of services to all kinds of goods. The port takes advantage of important public and private investments aimed at improving its infrastructure, extending and specialising its service offering in order to reach the highest quality standards.