Where to begin
These are the places worth planning a trip around: the museums, cathedrals and palaces, the ancient sites and the landscapes that make Italy what it is, from the Uffizi and the Colosseum to the Dolomites and the temples of Agrigento. Each has its own guide, with the story behind it, what to look for once inside, how to plan the visit and the tours worth booking. Begin with the best known, or choose a region.
391 monuments
San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
MilanLuini fresco of Saint Maurice, Sistine Chapel of Milan nickname, nuns' dividing wall, Roman hippodrome tower
Villa Gregoriana
TivoliEnter at Largo Sant’Angelo and follow the paths down into the gorge.
Aosta Cathedral
AostaBehind a neoclassical front finished in 1848, Aosta's cathedral hides one of the Alps' most layered interiors.
Asti Cathedral
AstiLargest Gothic church in Piedmont, 1266-1470 construction, Carloni's 1767 presbytery frescoes, Jacopo Ghigo's campanile
Atri Cathedral
AtriAtri's cathedral hides the quiet Renaissance of Abruzzo.
Duino Castle
GoriziaDuino Castle stands on a limestone cliff above the Gulf of Trieste, built from 1389 on the ruins of an 11th-century stronghold that still crumbles nearby.
Fontana Maggiore
PerugiaPisano father and son reliefs, medieval encyclopedia in marble, aqueduct endpoint, pink and white basins
Le Castella
Isola di Capo RizzutoAragonese castle on an islet, Capo Rizzuto marine reserve, Pasolini film location (Gospel of Matthew, Medea)
MART Rovereto
RoveretoMario Botta sank a glass-domed rotunda into the middle of Rovereto and filled it with Italy's twentieth century.
Murano Glass Museum
VeniceStart with a vessel you can read closely The museum occupies the former palace of the bishops of Torcello on Murano.
Rocca Calascio
CalascioApennine fortress at 1,460 meters, Gran Sasso views, film location (Ladyhawke), Santa Maria della Pietà chapel
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology
BolzanoOn 19 September 1991, Erika and Helmut Simon found a body emerging from ice near Tisenjoch, at 3,210 metres above sea level.
Spaccanapoli
NaplesStart in Piazza del Gesù Nuovo with your back to the obelisk and look at the dark stone points of the church façade.
St. Patrick's Well
OrvietoIn 1527, imperial troops sacked Rome and Pope Clement VII took refuge in Orvieto.
Torrechiara Castle
LanghiranoCamera d'Oro frescoes, Pier Maria de' Rossi and Bianca Pellegrini, hilltop fortress-residence, Parma valley views
Royal Palace of Genoa
GenoaOn Via Balbi in Genoa, Palazzo Reale brings together the ambitions of an aristocratic household and the ceremonies of a royal court.
Isola Bella
TaorminaA narrow tongue of pebbles reaches towards Isola Bella from the shore below Taormina.
Madonna del Ghisallo
MagreglioPatron sanctuary of cyclists since 1949, pink-jersey collection, cycling memorabilia museum, legendary climb
National Museum of Magna Graecia
Reggio CalabriaRiace Bronzes, fifth-century BC Greek warriors, climate-controlled display hall, Magna Graecia collection
Royal Villa of Monza
MonzaPiermarini's neoclassical design, 28 restored royal rooms, 14 km walled park, Monza Grand Prix circuit
- Säben AbbeyBressanoneHidden GemFormer bishop's seat, Benedictine-turned-Cistercian monastery, Stations of the Cross climb, Acropolis of Tyrol views
- Spoleto CathedralSpoletoSpoleto's Duomo sits at the foot of a broad, sloping piazza, a stage set that the Festival dei Due Mondi has used for decades as its closing venue.
- VeleiaCastell'ArquatoHidden GemVeleia was a small Roman town in the Chero valley of the Apennines, founded in the first century and abandoned after landslides from the mountain above.
- Villa ContariniPiazzola sul BrentaHidden GemRead the villa from the square Follow the approach into Piazza Paolo Camerini and stop before going through the gate.
