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
Naples Cathedral
NaplesFrom the nave, turn left into Santa Restituta.
Ortigia
OrtigiaStart at the landward end Cross the bridge into Ortigia and begin at the Temple of Apollo near Piazza Pancali.
Marmore Falls
TerniJust outside Terni, the Velino drops into the Nera in three main cascades, descending a total of 165 metres.
Cefalu Cathedral
CefalùThe two towers and the Rock Come up the steps from Piazza Duomo and stop before the portico.
Royal Palace of Naples
NaplesOn Piazza del Plebiscito, read the eight figures in the façade from left to right.
Orvieto Cathedral
OrvietoOn 13 November 1290, Pope Nicholas IV laid the first stone of a new cathedral at Orvieto, then a frequent home of the papal court.
Basilica di San Nicola
BariRelics of Saint Nicholas, Puglian Romanesque prototype, shared Catholic-Orthodox crypt, manna
Certosa di Pavia
Certosa di PaviaPolychrome marble facade, Visconti and Sforza tombs, Grand Cloister monks' cells, Bergognone art
Teatro Massimo
PalermoA theatre on the scale of the city From Piazza Verdi, climb towards the columns of the Teatro Massimo.
Tusculum
FrascatiStart on the paving at the junction where branches of the Via Labicana and Via Latina met.
Teatro Olimpico
VicenzaStart with the room Palladio drew Enter from Piazza Matteotti and give the auditorium a moment before looking at the scenery.
Castel dell'Ovo
NaplesFrom Via Partenope, Castel dell’Ovo looks almost level with the sea.
Palatine Chapel
PalermoThe Palatine Chapel, dedicated to Saint Peter, is part of Palermo’s Royal Palace, also known as the Norman Palace.
Sassi di Matera
MateraCave dwellings since the Paleolithic, rock churches, 1950s forced relocation, UNESCO listing
Sacra di San Michele
Sant'Ambrogio di TorinoBenedictine monks began this abbey in the late tenth century on the summit of Mount Pirchiriano, and it has been rebuilding itself on that rock ever since.
Sacro Bosco of Bomarzo
BomarzoA garden built around its boulders The first sphinx gives you fair warning.
Ghirlandina Tower
ModenaModena's emblem, stolen bucket legend, Sala dei Torresani, Gothic spire
Langhe Vineyards
BaroloThe Langhe rise in vineyard slopes and wooded folds, punctuated by hilltop settlements.
Palazzo Te
MantuaFederico II Gonzaga commissioned Giulio Romano to turn the Teieto stables into a villa in Mantua.
Neptune's Grotto
AlgheroNeptune's Grotto opens at the foot of the 110-meter cliffs of Capo Caccia, west of Alghero, in halls of stalactites and stalagmites around a lake of salt water.
Sila National Park
Camigliatello SilanoThe Sila is a high plateau in the toe of Italy where the south turns unexpectedly alpine.
Brenta Dolomites
Madonna di CampiglioWestern Dolomite towers, Via delle Bocchette ledge routes, Campiglio ski slopes, reintroduced brown bears
Ducal Palace of Mantua
MantuaGonzaga city-palace of 500 rooms, Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi, Castello di San Giorgio, Appartamento dei Nani
Palazzo Madama
TurinRoman gate to Baroque facade, Juvarra's staircase, Antonello da Messina's portrait, Civic Museum of Ancient Art
