Italy attractions

Rome was famously built around seven hills—and on one of those, you’ll find the Oppian Hill Park (Parco del Colle Oppio). Overlooking the Colosseum, this storied park is more than just a way to access Rome’s most famous attraction: Nero chose this spot to build part of his massive Domus Aurea palace, and the baths of Trajan and Titus were also located here. Today, this pretty park offers walking paths, fountains, and hilltop views of ancient ruins.

Escaping the relentless crowds and chaos of central Rome can seem like an impossible task, but just a short distance to the south, the Garbatella District (Quartiere Garbatella) beckons with its communal gardens, authentic restaurants, and captivating mix of historic and contemporary culture. With its relaxed vibe, the neighborhood showcases a more lived-in but no less interesting side to the ever-popular capital.

Known postcard-perfect fishing villages, the Amalfi Coast, a stretch of southern Italian coastline, also has striking countryside crisscrossed with hiking trails. Those in Ferriere Valley Nature Reserve (Riserva Statale Valle delle Ferriere)—thick with lemon groves, lush ferns, abandoned mills, and waterfalls—are among the most beautiful.

Combining elements of Republican and medieval Rome, the Basilica di San Nicola in Carcere is a worthwhile stop for archaeology and architecture enthusiasts. While many churches in Rome incorporate elements pilfered from ancient sites, this one is unique in that its repurposed columns stand in their original location—the foundations of the preexisting temples are still visible in the basement crypt.

The Church of Santa Maria Formosa (Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa) dates back to the end of the 15th century, when it was built on a site that previously featured an earlier church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is known for its Renaissance and baroque architecture, including a campanile tower that looms over the adjacent square. An impressive collection of art is housed inside, along with an altarpiece of the Madonna and Child.

Piazza delle Erbe is the beating heart of Mantua’s elegant Renaissance historic center. It is also home to three of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed city’s most famous monuments: the 13th-century civic hall, Palazzo della Ragione; Bartolomeo Manfredi’s 15th-century clock tower; and the 11th-century Rotonda di San Lorenzo, the city’s oldest church.

One of Tuscany’s most beautiful sights, the Abbey of Sant'Antimo (Abbazia di Sant'Antimo) is a 12th-century Romanesque church and monastery set deep in the rolling olive groves outside the hilltown of Montalcino in the Val d'Orcia. The abbey is a popular stop during wine tours or day trips through the Tuscan countryside.

The resort town of Portofino on the Italian Riviera is a popular bolthole for the international jet set, but the town offers more than tony boutiques and glorious sea views. It's also home to an important protected marine area (Area Marina Protetta, known for its pristine coastline and diverse marine life.

Santa Croce is one of Venice’s six central districts (sestieri); it’s often overlooked by tourists, although it is well worth a visit. The area is home to Campo San Giacomo dell'Orio—one of the city’s prettiest squares—alongside elegant palaces, churches, and museums. It’s also where Venice’s busy Piazzale Roma bus station and vaporetto (water bus) hub is located, providing a convenient gateway to explore the city.

At the center of St. Peter’s Square, the second tallest Egyptian obelisk in Rome soars 84 feet (26 meters) into the air to signify the Catholic church’s power. Brought from Heliopolis to Rome by Caligula in AD 37, the red-granite obelisk was moved to its current location by Pope Sixtus V in 1586. It has no decorated sides and bears no carved inscriptions.

A chapel made from some truly unusual materials, San Bernardino alle Ossa is decorated by more than 3,000 human bones, arranged in Rococò-style patterns on the walls, cornice, pillars, and doors. Also of note are a series of 16th-century paintings, a ceiling fresco, and baroque-style decorations lining the walls.

With a history that stretches back millennia, it’s no surprise that the city of Naples has a number of fascinating sites hidden beneath its streets. One of the most important is the Bourbon Tunnel, or Galleria Borbonica, a massive underground passage built in 1853 that offers a unique peek into recent Neapolitan history.

Considered one of Italy’s most magnificent opera houses, the grand Teatro Massimo Bellini dazzles with its imposing Sicilian baroque-style façade and opulent interiors. Admire its fin de siècle beauty during an opera or concert in the evening, or join a tour during the day to see its ornate marble foyer and 19th-century boxes.

The Porta Nuova neighborhood in Milan was named after its elegant Neoclassical city gate built in 1810 by Giuseppe Zanoia. Known as the “new gate”, Porta Nuova is quite recent in comparison to the city’s ancient Roman gates, and is an architectural highlight of this business district, along with a number of award-winning skyscrapers.

Trastevere locals have been shopping at the Piazza San Cosimato’s modest but lively morning food market for more than a century. Though smaller than other popular outdoor markets in the city, San Cosimato has a dedicated following; some of the vendor families have occupied a stall since its early days, handing it down through generations. The square is also ringed with bustling cafès and restaurants and home to a beloved open-air cinema on summer evenings.

Perhaps the most elegant of the neighborhoods that make up Naples’ historic center, the Borgo Santa Lucia is set directly along the Bay of Naples and home to the city’s hotel-lined promenade. Join locals and visitors strolling along the waterfront and pop across the water to Borgo Marinari and Castel dell’Ovo.

Though Taormina’s most famous attraction is known as the Greek Theatre, this 2nd-century amphitheater is actually Roman—and it isn’t the only ancient site in town. History buffs will be delighted by the Roman Odeon, a smaller version of the Teatro Greco built centuries earlier in a similar Greek style, with space for just 200 people.

Set in the lush countryside outside the town of Barumini, Su Nuraxi is Sardinia’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the island’s most important Nuragic-age ruins. The highlight is the main tower, dating from 1500 BC and incorporated over time into a vast fortified nuraghe compound.

Each day at noon, a crowd gathers beneath the bell tower of Messina’s Cathedral to watch as the gilded statues on the astronomical clock seem to come to life. As the bells chime, the lion roars, the rooster crows, statues strike the hour, and mechanical figures replay biblical and allegorical scenes. It's a spectacle no tourist should miss.

Turin is headquarters to Fiat and Alfa Romeo, so it's only fitting that the city is home to the National Museum of the Automobile (Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile), as well. With one of the largest collections of cars on display in Europe, this museum is a mecca for antique car enthusiasts as well as those interested in prototypes for cars of the future.

The Ducale Palace was the home of the influential Gonzaga family, sometimes called the masters of Mantua, who moved into the original medieval fortress and turned it into a sprawling palace-city to flaunt their power and wealth. Over the centuries, they lavished it with additions of monumental courtyards, hanging gardens, priceless artwork, and a castle, which today form Italy’s largest architectural museum complex and an important UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Palaces and homes with art deco, Greek, Gothic, baroque, and medieval flourishes make this neighborhood in central Rome a favorite among architecture buffs, as well as anyone curious to explore an area that most visitors overlook. Highlights of Quartiere Coppedè include a pair of ambassadors’ palaces—Palazzi degli Ambasciatori—as well as the fanciful Fontana delle Rane (Fountain of the Frogs), where the Beatles once frolicked.

Though it may not have the star power of Versailles, this baroque palace just north of Turin is one of the largest royal residences in the world. Built as a lavish hunting lodge, the building and its sweeping grounds have been completely restored and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular excursion from Turin.

Piercing the sky high above Verona’s historic Piazza delle Erbe, the 12th-centuryLamberti Tower (Torre dei Lamberti) is one of the most eye-catching landmarks in this UNESCO-listed city. Climb 84 meters (275 feet) to the panoramic terraces and belfry at the top for 360-degree views over Verona’s historic center.

Belching out jets of steam and sulfurous fumes for four millennia, the volcanic crater of Solfatara is a vivid reminder that southern Italy is a hotbed of geothermal activity, giving rise to everything from Ischia’s hot springs and Mt. Vesuvius’s puffing peak. Visit this spot in the Phlegrean Fields to witness its rumblings first-hand.

Italy is famous for its fashion and design, and some of the world’s most popular luxury clothing and home decor brands come from this stylish country. If you love Italian style, visit Tuscany’s Barberino Designer Outlet to shop for designer brands from Italy at a deep discount. Just 30 minutes from Florence, you’ll get all the names you covet for up to 70 percent off.

Lecce is home to some of the most magnificent baroque churches in Italy, and the sumptuous Church of Saint Irene (Chiesa di Sant'Irene) is one of the city’s architectural gems. Its facade is a masterpiece of 17th-century stonework, and the twin altarpieces inside, which face each other across the transept, are equally dazzling.

Villa Barbaro (often known as Villa di Maser), masterpiece of 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio, is one of the most striking of Veneto’s UNESCO-listed Palladian villas. This group of elegant patrician residences are scattered in the hills between Vicenza and Treviso, and make for a fascinating day trip from Venice.

Near the entrance of this 11th-century church in central Sorrento lie two whale rib bones—a curious tribute to San Antonino, the town’s patron saint, said to have saved a child swallowed whole by a whale. Step inside to find opulent Baroque interiors, a crypt holding the saint’s remains, and paintings depicting the many miracles attributed to the saint.

Located on the Serchio River some 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Lucca, the Devil's Bridge (Ponte del Diavolo or Ponte della Maddalena) is one of the region’s most striking landmarks. The stone, pedestrian-only bridge dates to the 11th century and was used by religious pilgrims. It’s recognizable for its irregularly shaped arches.