Ravenna, not far from Venice, has been a capital three times in its history: of the Western Roman Empire (402-476), of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths (493-553) and of the Byzantine Exarchate (568-751). Due to the heritage left by its grand history, the complex of early Christian monuments in Ravenna, with its mosaics, was inserted in 1966 in the list of Italian UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Restoration of the historical lamp post

In the early 2000s, the Fondazione Neri – Italian Museum of Cast Iron, in Ravenna, identified two extraordinary original lamp posts located on the arms of the dock that mark the entrance to the port of Marina di Ravenna, and subsequently launched the alarm to have them preserved. These two unique, fascinating posts were manufactured by the prestigious Pignone Foundry in 1934. In Italy, there are still a few examples of a similar base in Rome near the headquarters of the Bank of Italy. The Pignone Foundry had a large picture of it in its 1920 catalogue: a version with 5 lights and a lower column. The poor conditions of the posts in Ravenna threatened their survival. Both seemed to be seriously compromised by a bad level of degradation, caused by atmospheric agents (being so close to the sea), and by tampering, which over time had caused the loss or breakage of a few precious decorative elements.

Thanks to an intervention by the Port Authority and the support of the Bank of Ravenna and Casa Matha, the lamp posts were restored by Neri SpA. In particular, the broken column was the most worrying part, because it was detrimental to the stability of the post. The column was welded and reinforced with a steel core. All parts were cleaned and the missing decorations were replicated. Now, in Marina di Ravenna, it is possible to admire this unique type of lamp post in the beauty of its restored original condition.