On the occasion of the 1500th anniversary of the death of Theodoric the Great (30th August 526), Ravenna is preparing to host CELEBRAZIONI TEODORICIANE 526-2026. RAVENNA NEL SEGNO DI TEODORICO, with an extensive programme of initiatives throughout the area aimed at promoting Theodoric’s heritage.
The centrepiece of the celebrations is THEODORIC WEEK, running from 29th August to 6th September, during which the sites associated with Theodoric come to life with events, exhibitions, conferences, performances and special guided tours, all dedicated to the Gothic king.
2026 will therefore see a succession of exhibitions, conferences, guided tours, conventions and seminars, performances and educational workshops, making the celebrations a genuine shared experience between institutions, scholars, citizens and visitors.
Through permanent digital content, the involvement of schools and citizens and a widespread cultural offering, the project also aims to generate a sustainable and lasting impact on tourism.
2026 also marks the 30th anniversary of the inscription of the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna on the Unesco World Heritage List and 30 years of Mosaico di Notte, the summer programme of evening guided tours of UNESCO monuments and some of the city’s most evocative sites.
The events of Celebrazioni Teodoriciane are organised by the Municipality of Ravenna in collaboration with the national Museums of Ravenna, the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of the provinces of Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena and Rimini, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Province of Ravenna, the Municipality of Galeata and the Archdiocese of Ravenna-Cervia.
Note: most of the conferences and lectures are held only in Italian.
Download the PROGRAMME of the celebrations.
The online programme is continuously updated.
PROGRAMME
EXHIBITION
From 4th August to 8th September 2026
VIA ZIRARDINI – VISIONI DI ETERNO
Where: via Zirardini
Time: always visible
An open-air photography exhibition featuring images from the immersive show “Visioni di eterno” at the Mausoleum of Theodoric.
For more information click QUI
From 29th August to 10th September 2026
16 POSSIBILI USI DI UN MAUSOLEO
Where: Pallavicini22 Art Gallery – via Giorgio Pallavicini, 22
Presentation of the art comic “16 Possibili usi di un Mausoleo”, the comic story set in Theodoric’s Mausoleum by Giuseppe Palumbo.
For more information click HERE
From 12th to 19th September 2026
TEODORICO, DETTO IL GRANDE NEL 1500° ANNIVERSARIO DELLA MORTE. IL MAUSOLEO DI TEODORICO ERA UN MONUMENTO FUNEBRE PER IL RE?
Where: Pallavicini22 Art Gallery – via Giorgio Pallavicini, 22
Exhibition of the 12 works shortlisted for the final stage of the art competition centred on Theodoric’s Mausoleum.
For more information click HERE
From 10th October 2026 to 16th January 2027
LA ROTONDA DEL RE. IL MAUSOLEO DI TEODORICO NELLE COLLEZIONI CLASSENSI
Where: Biblioteca Classense – via Baccarini, 3
Time: see link
1.500 years after the death of the King of the Goths, the exhibition will trace the history of Theodoric’s Mausoleum through rare editions, engravings and documents held in the collections of the Library and the Municipal Historical Archive.
For more information click HERE
2027
L’ORO E LA PORPORA. TEODORICO, GIUSTINIANO E RAVENNA
Where: Museo Nazionale – via San Vitale, 17
Time: to be defined
The initiative aims to offer a fresh perspective on the relationship between these two historical figures, highlighting – through an exceptional collection of works – the complexity of the 6th century and Ravenna’s role as a political, cultural and religious centre of prime importance in the late antique Mediterranean.
CONFERENCES, LECTURES AND MEETINGS
February – December 2026
TEMPUS NON VINCIT OMNIA
Where: various places in the city
Time: 5 pm
A series of seminars dedicated to the memory of King Theodoric, in collaboration with the University of Bologna.
For more information click HERE
September – November 2026
INTORNO A TEODORICO
Where: Spazio Teodorico del Mausoleo di Teodorico – via delle Industrie, 14
Time: see programme
A series of lectures on the legacy of Theodoric the Great.
For more information click HERE
October – December 2026
TEODERICO IL GRANDE 526-2026
Where: Casa Matha – Piazza Andrea Costa, 3
Time: 5.30 pm
A series of meetings that will shed light on various aspects of Theodoric and the Ostrogothic kingdom.
For more information click HERE
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th October 2026
COMUNITÀ, LINGUE D’USO E MULTICULTURALISMO A RAVENNA NELL’ETÀ TEODORICIANA E OLTRE
Where: Dipartimento di Beni Culturali (Sala conferenze) – via degli Ariani, 1
Time: Friday 3 pm – 7 pm; Saturday 9 am – 1 pm
The seminar, curated by Salvatore Cosentino and Alessandro Zironi, will focus on an extremely topical issue: the coexistence of communities with different cultures, religions and legal traditions.
The reign of Theodoric will be analysed as a historical laboratory of pluralism, offering food for thought in the contemporary world.
From 29th October to 10th December 2026
SERIES OF CONFERENCES IN CLASSENSE
Where: Biblioteca Classense (Sala Muratori) – Via A. Baccarini, 3
Time: 5 pm
A series of four lectures on the life of Theodoric.
For more information click HERE
EVENTS
Tuesday 22nd September 2026
LA CORAZZA DI TEODORICO – UN MISTERO RAVENNATE
Where: Palazzo dei Congressi
Time: 9 pm
A reading with the master of noir, Carlo Lucarelli, and musical interludes by Raffaello Bellavista, inspired by the daring theft of the precious armour of the King of the Goths.
Organised by the Associazione Accademia del Melo Silvestre
For more information click HERE
From 8th to 11th October 2026
CAPPELLETTO TEO: UN PIATTO DA RE. OMAGGIO DI CAPLÈT & FRIENDS
Where: Piazza Kennedy
As part of the Caplèt & Friends food festival, “Cappelletto Teo: un piatto da re” has been created – a recipe devised by chef Mattia Borroni. During the festival, an afternoon tour by mini-train will be organised, taking in the sites associated with Theodoric and concluding in Piazza Kennedy, where RavennAntica will bring to life the convivial atmosphere at the Gothic king’s court.
For more information click HERE
GUIDED TOUR AND ITINERARIES
From August 2026 to September 2027
COSTRUIRE PER L’ETERNITÀ. IL MAUSOLEO DI TEODORICO TRA POTERE E MEMORIA
Where: Mausoleo di Teodorico – via delle Industrie, 14
Time: see link
A themed guided tour with no fixed meeting point, organised by the RavennAntica Foundation.
For info and reservation click HERE
Sunday 27th September 2026
TEODORICO E LE CULTURE DEL SACRO: L’ARMONIA DELLE DIFFERENZE AL BATTISTERO DEGLI ARIANI
Where: Battistero degli Ariani – Piazzetta degli Ariani
Time: 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm -5.30 pm
A guided tour and a musical performance dedicated to this historical period and the celebration of different cultures.
Organised by the Associazione Collegium Musicum Classense, in collaboration with the National Museums of Ravenna.
Admission with a ticket to the Baptistery.
Info: collegium.musicum.classense@gmail.com
Sunday 4th October
A SPASSO CON TEODORICO: RAVENNA E LO SPLENDORE DI UN REGNO
Where: Theodoric’s Palace – via Alberoni, corner with via di Roma, 77
Time: 9.30 am
Urban trekking with Giovanni Gardini, Nicola Montalbini, National Museums of Ravenna.
An imaginary journey through the splendour of the city during the Gothic era, starting from Theodoric’s Palace, continuing towards the Arian Baptistery and ending at the Mausoleum of Theodoric.
Final Theodoric-style lunch at Rocca Brancaleone.
Organised by Trail Romagna in collaboration with Musei nazionali di Ravenna . For more information, click HERE
PODCAST
LA RAVENNA DEI GOTI
The podcast “La Ravenna dei Goti. Stories, places and people in the time of Theodoric” explores the city during the Ostrogothic reign through previously unpublished accounts, interesting facts, notable figures and major historical events.
The project is curated by Michael Micci and Alessandro Zironi, experts in Germanic philology.
Listen HERE the podcast
PAST EVENTS
EXHIBITION
From 24th June to 6th September 2026
IN UN’ARIA DIVERSA, TEODERICO
Where: Spazio Teodorico, Mausoleo di Teodorico – via delle Industrie, 14
Time: see link
A personal exhibition by Mariella Busi De Logu as the first hosted in the new Spazio Teodorico at the Masuoleum.
For more information click HERE
From 21st to 31st August 2026
LA PIETRA DI AURISINA SULLE ROTTE ADRIATICHE
Where: Palazzo Rasponi 2 – via D’Azeglio, 2
Time: see link
An exhibition exploring the link between Aquileia and Ravenna through the history of Aurisina stone.
For more information click HERE
CONFERENCES, LECTURES AND MEETINGS
24th March 2026
AMALASUNTA – FIGLIA DI TEODORICO REGINA D’ITALIA E DEI GOTI
Where: Classense Library (Sala Muratori) – Via Baccarini, 3
Time: 6 pm
Presentation of the book edited by Alba Bugari in conversation with Enrico Cirelli, organised by Fidapa Ravenna.
From Monday 20th to Friday 24th April 2026
RE TEODERICO E LE TRASFORMAZIONI DEL MEDITERRANEO
Where: National Museum of Ravenna – via San Vitale, 17 | MAR – Ravenna Art Museum – via di Roma, 13 | Classis Ravenna – Museum of the City and of the Territory – via Classense, 29
The conference examines Ravenna and the Ostrogothic kingdom in the Mediterranean in the 6th century, including political transformations, trade and urban changes, through the contributions of scholars from different countries.
Discover full programme HERE
Tuesday 1st September 2026
JUDITH HERRIN, LECTIO MAGISTRALIS. L’UNICITÀ DI TEODORICO. GOTO DI NASCITA, ROMANO PER FORMAZIONE, RE A RAVENNA
Where: Teatro Alighieri (Sala Corelli) – via Angelo Mariani, 2
Time: 6.30 pm
A meeting with the world-renowned scholar, author of Ravenna. Capitale dell’Impero, crogiolo d’Europa and honorary citizen of Ravenna.
EVENTS
From 8th to 10th May 2026
POLIS TEATRO FESTIVAL — MATERIALE PER MEDEA
Where: Rasi Theatre – via di Roma, 39
Time: Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 6 pm, Sunday at 3 pm
A theatre production by the ErosAntEros company, conceived and performed by Agata Tomšič, which reinterprets the myth of Medea through the lens of Heiner Müller.
The production presents a contemporary, foreign and decolonial Medea.
For more information click HERE
24th June 2026
JACOPO VENEZIANI. L’ENIGMA DEL MAUSOLEO DI TEODORICO
Where: Mausoleum of Theodoric – via delle Industrie, 14
Time: 9.30 pm
The event will explore the mysteries and history of this famous monument, as part of the Ravenna Festival’s cultural programme.
For more information click HERE
July – September 2026
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF MOSAICO DI NOTTE AND WORLD HERITAGE LIST
Where: various places in the city
To mark the anniversary of the inscription of the Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna on the Unesco World Heritage List, and the 30th anniversary of the Mosaico di Notte, the city is gearing up for a year of celebrations centred on history and art.
The events, taking place across the UNESCO site, will combine artistic performances of various kinds with evening guided tours, offering residents and visitors a unique opportunity to discover and experience the City of Early Christian and Byzantine Mosaics in all its beauty.
The Mausoleum of Theodoric will be hosting special evening openings and a series of string concerts, preceded by a guided tour of the monument.
For more information click HERE
From 29th August to 6th September 2026
SETTIMANA DI TEODORICO
Where: Theodoric’s sites
A week of events dedicated to Theodoric.
Discover the full programme HERE
From 29th August to 6th September 2026
VISIONI DI ETERNO – TEODORICO IL GRANDE
Where: Mausoleo di Teodorico – via delle Industrie, 14
Time: 9 pm – 11 pm
An art project conceived by Andrea Bernabini that transforms one of the city’s most iconic monuments into an immersive experience of light, sound and storytelling.
For more information click HERE
GUIDED TOUR AND ITINERARIES
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd March 2026
GIORNATE FAI DI PRIMAVERA
Where: Theodoric’s Palace
Time: Saturday 3 pm – 5.30 pm, Sunday 10 am – 12 pm / 3 pm – 5.30 pm
To mark the 1500th anniversary of Theodoric’s death, this FAI tour – part of a special project organised jointly by FAI and the National Museums of Ravenna – offers visitors an in-depth look at this extraordinary and still enigmatic monument, unique in Ravenna’s architectural landscape.
For more information, click HERE
Sunday 22nd March
LE ACQUE DI RAVENNA AI TEMPI DI TEODORICO
Where: Mausoleum of Theodoric – via delle Industrie, 14
Time: 9.30 am
On World Water Day, an event with Osiride Guerrini who will accompany visitors on a journey through the ancient landscape, discovering the “amphibious” Ravenna during Theodoric’s age.
Organised by Trail Romagna. For more information, click HERE
