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
Villa La Rotonda
VicenzaGive each portico its own view Approach the villa on its low hill outside Vicenza.
Blue Grotto
AnacapriAt the entrance to Capri’s Blue Grotto, the boatman waits for the water to drop under the arch.
Modena Cathedral
ModenaRomanesque masterwork of Lanfranco and Wiligelmo, Genesis facade reliefs, the leaning Ghirlandina tower, Piazza Grande ensemble
Scrovegni Chapel
PaduaA blue vault scattered with stars spans the Scrovegni Chapel.
Su Nuraxi di Barumini
BaruminiGreatest nuraghe complex, Bronze Age tower village, dry-stone corbelling, Giovanni Lilliu's excavation
Basilica of Saint Anthony
PaduaStart in the square From Piazza del Santo, give the building enough distance to see its domes and towers together.
Egyptian Museum
TurinA major Egyptian collection shaped by Drovetti’s 1824 collection, the grave goods of Kha and Merit, the Gallery of the Kings, and the Temple of Ellesiya.
Naples National Archaeological Museum
NaplesWalk around the Farnese Hercules.
Valley of the Temples
AgrigentoStart at the eastern end of the ridge Begin at the Giunone gate.
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia
RavennaFrom the lane, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a low brick building with a Latin-cross plan and a square tower-lantern concealing the dome.
Miramare Castle
TriesteMiramare stands at the tip of the Grignano promontory, where Istrian white stone meets the Gulf of Trieste.
Pinacoteca di Brera
MilanBegin in the courtyard of Palazzo Brera.
Segesta
Calatafimi-SegestaA building site frozen in stone At Segesta, start at the temple on the lower hill.
La Maddalena Archipelago
La MaddalenaSeven granite islands, Budelli's pink sand, Garibaldi's house on Caprera, clear Mediterranean waters
Palermo Cathedral
PalermoPalermo’s cathedral records changes of faith and power in stone.
Ca' d'Oro
VeniceOn the Grand Canal, the Ca’ d’Oro is both a Venetian Gothic palace and the setting of a museum shaped by its collector.
Mole Antonelliana
TurinAlessandro Antonelli designed the Mole in 1862 as a synagogue for Turin ’s Jewish community.
Turin Cathedral
TurinHome of the Holy Shroud, Guarini's Baroque dome, rare public expositions, Renaissance facade
Castel Nuovo
NaplesStart far enough back in Piazza Municipio to see the pale marble arch between the dark piperno towers.
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
RavennaProcessions of martyrs and virgins, Theodoric's palace church, twenty-six Christ scenes, nave-length mosaics
Monreale Cathedral
MonrealeStart with the apse William II founded the Norman cathedral at Monreale in the twelfth century.
Basilica of Superga
TurinFilippo Juvarra set this domed basilica on Superga's summit between 1717 and 1731.
Royal Palace of Turin
TurinIn 1563 Emanuele Filiberto made Turin the capital of the Savoy duchy and established his court in the former bishop’s palace.
Isola Bella
StresaTen-terrace Baroque garden, Palazzo Borromeo, white peacocks, Napoleon's 1797 stay
