District / Area, Ravenna
The wet dock of Ravenna (darsena in Italian) is an artificial basin for industrial use. It is separated from the city center by the railway station and is fairly easy to spot when arriving to the city by train.
The basin has modern origins, and its waters occupy the same space they occupied in past centuries. In fact, around the 5th century, the coastline was less advanced than nowadays and it arrived right to the actual railway.
It is not by chance therefore that important buildings such as the paleochristian church of Saint John Evangelist were built so near. This church, commissioned by Galla Placidia was built where the sea used to be. Galla Placidia ordered the construction of the church as an offering for having survived a terrible storm out in open sea while coming back from Constantinople, where she travelled for her brother’s death, Emperor Onorio, and the subsequent coronation of his son.
The wet dock has been quite active until 10 years ago when, after the economic crisis and the new production logistics, it has suffered a constant decline of its buildings. It has recently undergone a project of requalification with the idea of restoring the damaged buildings for their use.
The project involved with the requalification is called “City wet dock” (“Darsena di città” ) that works trying to reconstruct the urban fabric with its original role of true gate to the sea.
Through a pedestrian passage near the station the heart of the wet dock is reached, setting foot in a totally renewed space where high-level street art masterpieces and locals for the gatherings of the young can be found.
