Ravenna is a city with 140,000 inhabitants, capital of the province with the same name in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.
The city is situated on the shore, but is linked by a canal from the Adriatic Sea.
It was the capital of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until 476, Ostrogoths and the Exarchate capital of the Kingdom (center of Byzantine power in Italy) until 751. From that year until the invasion of the Franks, Ravenna was the Lombard king's fortress and
now is even the provincial capital Ravenna.
The name is unclear, although it is assumed to be of Etruscan origin, and is actually a way that they called themselves (Rasenna or grinder).
