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
Lipari
LipariLipari is the largest island in the Aeolian archipelago, where a harbour town and a volcanic landscape share the same compact horizon.
Martina Franca
Martina FrancaAt 431 metres above sea level, Martina Franca looks across the Valle d’Itria, with its red soil, trulli, masserie and dry-stone walls.
Doge's Palace
VeniceA palace built to govern Begin in the courtyard and look back towards the two statues of Mars and Neptune at the head of the Scala dei Giganti.
Scilla and Chianalea
ScillaScilla’s coast is shaped by the rock of Castello Ruffo.
Castel del Monte
AndriaOn the high ground of the Murgia outside Andria, Castel del Monte is encountered first as a silhouette and then as a precise arrangement of pale stone.
Castel Sant'Angelo
RomeCross Ponte Sant’Angelo and look at the huge cylinder behind the line of angels.
Walls of Monteriggioni
MonteriggioniMonteriggioni is a living borgo held within a circular line of walls.
Temples of Paestum
PaestumEnter near the southern sanctuary and stop between the two temples.
Locorotondo
LocorotondoCircular plan, cummerse gabled roofs, white flower-lined lanes, Itria valley terrace
Vieste
ViesteVieste sits on the easternmost tip of the Gargano promontory, its whitewashed old town wrapped around a headland between two beaches.
Royal Palace of Caserta
CasertaStart on the ground-floor axis of the Reggia.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
MilanSanta Maria delle Grazie is a Dominican church and convent whose story begins before Leonardo's mural.
Civita di Bagnoregio
BagnoregioRead the cliff before you cross Stop at the Bagnoregio belvedere before you go down to the bridge.
Castell'Arquato
Castell'ArquatoRocca Viscontea fortress, Collegiata church piazza, Gutturnio wine country, fossil badlands
Grand Canal
VeniceVenice’s Grand Canal bends through the historic centre in an inverted S, linking the lagoon with St Mark’s Basin.
St. Mark's Square
VeniceEnter the square from the arcades Begin at the western end, by the entrance to the Museo Correr.
Basilica of San Vitale
RavennaSan Vitale was commissioned in the years of Bishop Ecclesius, around 525–526, and consecrated by Archbishop Maximian in 547.
Hadrian's Villa
TivoliAt the Pecile, stop by the long basin before heading deeper into Hadrian’s estate.
Agnone
AgnoneBells for the popes since 1339, oldest family foundry in Italy, bell museum, foundry tour
Bridge of Sighs
VeniceStart on Ponte della Paglia From the waterfront beside the Doge’s Palace, step onto Ponte della Paglia and look up the Rio di Palazzo.
Oratino
OratinoStone-carvers' village, one of Italy's most beautiful borghi, Rocca tower on the cliff, Biferno valley views
Rialto Bridge
VeniceAt Rialto, the market quarter of Venice meets the city’s main waterway.
Santo Stefano di Sessanio
Santo Stefano di SessanioMedici mountain borgo, scattered-hotel revival, lentil terraces, stone lanes intact
Ostia Antica
RomeEnter at Porta Romana and follow the Decumanus Maximus.
