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
Scuola Grande di San Rocco
VeniceFounded in 1478, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco grew around the cult of the saint whose relics the confraternity had held since 1485.
Palazzi dei Rolli
GenoaIn Genoa, private palaces once performed a public duty.
Ancient Theatre of Taormina
TaorminaRead the theatre from above From Via Teatro Greco, enter the site and give yourself time to reach the upper part of the auditorium.
Melfi Castle
MelfiNorman-Swabian fortress, Constitutions of Melfi (1231), ten towers, Rapolla sarcophagus, archaeological museum
Prato della Valle
PaduaPrato della Valle gives the southern part of Padua a garden framed by water and stone figures.
Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo
Monte Sant'AngeloArchangel Michael's grotto, oldest Michael shrine in the West, pilgrim graffiti, UNESCO Longobard site
Tharros
TharrosPhoenician port, basalt main street, twin Corinthian columns, tophet, San Giovanni tower
Basilica of Santa Chiara
AssisiSaint Clare's tomb, San Damiano crucifix, pink-striped Gothic facade, flying buttress profile
Basilica di Santa Croce
LecceSanta Croce rewards a slow look, from its Renaissance lower order to the richly carved Baroque register above.
Basilica of Aquileia
AquileiaFourth-century mosaic floor, Good Shepherd, ninth-century crypt frescoes, 73 m bell tower, patriarchal seat
Campo Imperatore
L'AquilaCampo Imperatore opens into high grassland beneath the Gran Sasso.
Isola San Giulio
Orta San GiulioIsland basilica of San Giulio, Way of Silence path, closed Benedictine convent, Lake Orta stillness
Museo Ferrari
MaranelloAt Maranello, Ferrari tells its story through the machines built for racing and the road.
Nora Archaeological Site
PulaPhoenician-Roman town on a cape, seaside theatre, mosaic floors, Nora Stone findspot
Quattro Canti
PalermoA square made out of corners Walk along Corso Vittorio Emanuele to Via Maqueda and the street seems to widen on all sides at once.
San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro
PaviaThis Romanesque brick basilica in Pavia holds the tomb of Saint Augustine.
Ursino Castle
CataniaFrederick II’s coastal fortress, lava-covered defences, earthquake damage, and the Museo Civico collections
Aquarium of Genoa
GenoaOn the Porto Antico of Genoa, the Aquarium makes the city’s waterfront part of the visit.
Castelvecchio
VeronaScaliger castle, Carlo Scarpa design, Cangrande statue, Ponte Scaligero, Pisanello
Fénis Castle
FénisFénis Castle looks built for a siege, but its setting tells another story.
Pienza Cathedral
PienzaStart in Piazza Pio II and look across at the travertine front of Santa Maria Assunta.
Villa San Michele
AnacapriBegin inside the house, then watch how the route opens to the loggia and garden.
Necropolis of the Banditaccia
CerveteriA street plan for the dead On the Banditaccia’s sunken lanes, a doorway can be the first sign that the low hill beside you was built by people.
Noto Cathedral
NotoRead the square before climbing Stand beside Palazzo Ducezio on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, opposite San Nicolò.
