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
Torre del Mangia
SienaFrom Palazzo Pubblico, the Torre del Mangia rises above Piazza del Campo, the setting at the heart of Siena's civic life.
Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century
IvreaIvrea’s industrial city is easiest to understand as a whole neighbourhood rather than a single monument.
Walls of Lucca
LuccaStart at Porta San Pietro if you arrive by train.
Piazza dell'Anfiteatro
LuccaEnter Piazza dell’Anfiteatro through one of its four passages and the surrounding houses close into an oval.
Teatro alla Scala
MilanLa Scala began with a fire.
Borgo Antico of Termoli
TermoliTermoli’s Borgo Vecchio projects into the Adriatic like the prow of a ship.
Portovenere
PortovenerePortovenere’s tower-houses form a compact wall along the harbour.
Procida
ProcidaFrom the ferry at Marina Grande, head toward Piazza dei Martiri.
Sabbioneta
SabbionetaEnter Sabbioneta through one of its monumental gates and the town’s geometry becomes legible on foot.
Positano
PositanoStart at Piazza dei Mulini and follow the lanes downhill.
Gallipoli Old Town
GallipoliGallipoli’s Città Vecchia sits on a limestone island west of the newer town, joined to the mainland by a masonry bridge.
Erice
EriceErice crowns Monte Erice above Trapani, its historic centre gathered on a summit around 751 metres high.
Cinque Terre
Cinque TerreFive cliff villages, terraced vineyards, the Via dell'Amore coastal path, train-linked coves
Ostuni
OstuniThe hilltop Città Bianca, its whitewashed lanes, Cathedral rose window, medieval walls and olive-plain views.
Camogli
CamogliCamogli gathers around its harbour: fishing boats sit below tall, closely spaced houses, while lanes and stairways climb inland.
Piazzale Michelangelo
FlorenceAt Piazzale Michelangelo, start with the river.
Vatican Museums
RomeIn the Gallery of Maps, stop long enough to find a coastline you know.
Riomaggiore
RiomaggioreRiomaggiore is pressed between two steep, terraced hills, where tall painted houses seem to climb one above another toward the ridge.
Palatine Hill
RomeCome up from Via di San Gregorio to see how much height separates the Palatine from the roads below.
Appian Way
RomeBegin at the Mausoleum of Cecilia Metella.
- TropeaTropeaTropea is best understood in two levels: the upper historic centre on its sandstone cliff and the Marina below.
- VernazzaVernazzaUNESCOVernazza gathers around a small harbour that a National Park guide calls the Cinque Terre’s only natural harbour.
- Basilica di Santa Maria MaggioreRomeBegin inside on the centre line of the nave.
- Craco Vecchia Historic SettlementCracoCraco Vecchia is the abandoned historic settlement, distinct from the newer village along the road to Pisticci.
