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
Ancona Cathedral
AnconaSan Ciriaco looks over Ancona and its gulf from Guasco Hill, the site of the ancient city’s acropolis.
Arch of Trajan of Ancona
AnconaTrajan paid to enlarge Ancona’s harbour at his own expense around 100 AD, and a grateful Senate raised this arch on the mole itself, dedicating it around 115.
Buonconsiglio Castle
TrentoPrince-bishops’ residence, Cycle of the Months frescoes, Renaissance loggia, Torre Aquila
Castellana Caves
Castellana GrotteSpeleologist Franco Anelli rappelled into the Grave, a natural sinkhole outside town, in January 1938 and found Puglia’s largest cave system waiting below.
Farfa Abbey
Fara in SabinaFrom Charlemagne to the painted basilica The lane into Farfa runs between low stone buildings before opening at the Benedictine abbey.
Forte di Bard
BardForte di Bard sits on a rocky spur above the Dora Baltea, guarding the narrow gorge where Aosta Valley opens toward Piedmont.
Fossanova Abbey
PrivernoA church built around light and stone Fossanova sits below the Lepini Mountains.
Greek Theatre of Syracuse
SyracuseA theatre made from the hill Climb towards the Greek Theatre from the Neapolis paths.
Grotta Gigante
TriesteThe Carso plateau above Trieste hides a single limestone chamber tall enough to swallow the dome of St.
Piazza delle Erbe
VeronaPiazza delle Erbe gathers the changing life of Verona around a market, a fountain and a remarkably varied perimeter.
Trani Cathedral
TraniCathedral rising from the sea, Barisano's 1175 bronze doors, pink-white Trani stone, San Leucio crypt
Sacro Monte di Varallo
VaralloNew Jerusalem of 1491, forty-five chapels, Gaudenzio Ferrari figures, UNESCO since 2003
Abbey of Santa Giustina
PaduaBeside Prato della Valle, Santa Giustina rises as a vast Benedictine basilica, 122 metres long.
Cattolica di Stilo
StiloFive-domed Byzantine church, brick cube, 1927 frescoes, Monte Consolino setting
Flavian Amphitheatre of Pozzuoli
PozzuoliStand at the edge of the arena and follow the long central slot with your eyes.
Monte Conero
AnconaMonte Conero rises 572 metres above the Adriatic, a limestone promontory within a regional park shared by Ancona, Camerano, Numana and Sirolo.
Palazzo dei Priori
PerugiaNational Gallery of Umbria, Perugino and Piero della Francesca, Sala dei Notari, Gothic civic facade
Piazza Unita d'Italia
TriestePiazza Unità d’Italia gives Trieste a rare civic meeting with the water.
Villa Oplontis
Torre AnnunziataAt Oplontis, a painted wall makes a closed room look as if it opens onto another building.
Bagatti Valsecchi Museum
MilanNeo-Renaissance palazzo, genuine Renaissance furnishings, a Bellini workshop Madonna
Fonte Avellana
Serra Sant'AbbondioCamaldolese monks have prayed at Fonte Avellana since around the year 980, tucked into a fold of Monte Catria where the silence itself feels built.
Grotte di Catullo
SirmioneLargest Roman villa in Italy, Catullus tradition, olive grove ruins, lake-tip panorama
Matera Cathedral
MateraMatera raised its cathedral between 1230 and 1270 on the spur of the Civita, the rock that splits the city's two Sassi ravines.
Otranto Cathedral
OtrantoTree of Life floor mosaic, martyrs' relics, seventy-column crypt, 1698 painted wood ceiling
