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
Santa Giulia Museum
Brescia8th-century Lombard monastery, Winged Victory bronze, Cross of Desiderius, UNESCO listing since 2011
Colle dell'Infinito
RecanatiLeopardi's hedge and horizon, L'Infinito's birthplace, FAI-managed Orto next door, literary pilgrimage
Devil's Bridge
Cividale del FriuliTwo asymmetric arches over the Natisone, devil's-bargain legend, 1442 construction, rebuilt after 1917 demolition
Loggia del Lionello
UdineVenetian Gothic loggia of 1448, pink and white stone bands, Piazza Libertà centerpiece, rebuilt after an 1876 fire
Orgosolo Murals
Orgosolo700-plus political murals, Barbagia shepherd town, open-air protest gallery since 1969, Corso Repubblica walking route
Piedigrotta Church
PizzoChurch carved into sea tuff, 17th-century shipwreck vow origin, generations of carved saints, cave nave beside the beach
Roman Cisterns of Fermo
FermoBelow Fermo’s hilltop centre, Roman waterworks extend beneath buildings on the eastern side of Piazza del Popolo.
Roman Cryptoporticus
AostaUnderground horseshoe gallery, forum-leveling engineering, double colonnade atmosphere, over 100 meters intact
Samnite Sanctuary of Pietrabbondante
PietrabbondanteSamnite stone theatre with anatomical seating, Italic temple terrace, rare Oscan inscriptions, summer drama
Santa Maria dell'Isola
TropeaSanctuary on a freestanding sea rock, Byzantine-then-Benedictine history, rock-cut stairway, sea-green terrace
Portico of San Luca
BolognaLongest portico in the world, 666 arches over 3,796 meters, annual Madonna descent each May, UNESCO listing since 2021
Trulli of Alberobello
Alberobello1,500 cone-roofed trulli, Rione Monti and Aia Piccola districts, painted roof symbols, UNESCO listing since 1996
Archaeological Area of Aquileia
AquileiaRoman river port, forum colonnade, once a major imperial city, mostly unexcavated beneath the town
Castello District
CagliariWalled hilltop citadel, San Pancrazio and Elephant towers, Bastione di Saint Remy terrace, cathedral with martyrs' crypt
Crypt of the Original Sin
Matera"Sistine Chapel" of cave churches, 9th-century frescoes, the anonymous Flower Painter, gravina ravine setting
Fraterna Fountain
IserniaSix-arched public fountain, recycled Roman stones, symbol of Isernia, rebuilt after the 1943 bombing
La Pelosa Beach
StintinoAt the northwestern edge of the Gulf of Asinara, La Pelosa curves between Capo del Falcone and Punta Negra, north of Stintino.
Lerici Castle
LericiLerici Castle rises on a rock above the harbour of the Gulf of Poets, the natural sea inlet that has drawn Shelley and Byron.
Messner Mountain Museum Firmian
BolzanoSigmundskron castle setting, Reinhold Messner's vision, mountain art and expedition relics, Dolomite views
Montalcino Fortress
MontalcinoAt the top of Montalcino, begin in the courtyard and look for the five sides of the fortress.
Paleolithic Museum of Isernia
IserniaLa Pineta site, c.600,000-year-old human traces, in-place excavation viewed from walkways, a child's tooth find
Villa De Capoa
CampobassoMonumental town garden, sequoias and cedars, Countess de Capoa's 1875 donation, Liberty-style ironwork
WiMu Wine Museum
BaroloFalletti castle setting, five-floor immersive wine storytelling, François Confino design, Barolo views
Herculaneum Archaeological Park
HerculaneumBefore taking the ramp down, look across the excavation.
