Cloister of Santa Maria in Porto, Ravenna: Raking view, the loggia of the main entrance

Known as the Loggetta Lombardesca. The abbey of the Regular Lateran canons was built in the late 12th century outside the town, where the port was located at the mouth of the river Badareno, an outlet of the Po river which has today disappeared. The Venetian government invited the monks to move to the town, in order to concentrate their devotional and community work, and to prevent the risk of raids by Turkish pirates, as their former seat was too near the sea. They retained the same name for the new monastery, which boasted elegant Venetian architectural styling, including the loggias on two levels of the cloister and of the main entrance. The cloister is south of the church (1553 to 1606, facade by Camillo Morigia, 1784). The cloister now houses the Pinacoteca Comunale (Picture Gallery).