Italy attractions

If you hear a Roman refer to the “wedding cake building,” they’re talking about one of the city’s most famous landmarks: the enormous, white marble Victor Emmanuel II Monument (Vittoriano) dominating Piazza Venezia. Built to honor King Victor Emmanuel II, the site is home to massive statues, war memorials, and a glass elevator that connects to a terrace with panoramic views of the Eternal City.

Bologna’s most important square, Piazza Maggiore, is lined by elegant medieval and Renaissance palaces. Today, you can enjoy views of the Basilica di San Petronio and the Fountain of Neptune from the bustling café tables beneath their porticoes, or enjoy the square as part of a food tour or sightseeing tour.

Lovers of trompe l’oeil optical illusions will want to look up when inside the 16th-century Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola). Painted by Andrea Pozzo, the frescoes on the flat ceiling use perspective to create a false dome, and his seemingly boundless Rise of Saint Ignatius into Paradise on the vault is among the most captivating baroque masterpieces in Rome.

A world away from Venice’s busiest piazzas, Campo Santa Maria Formosa is a small square in the Castello district. With a handful of cafés, a market, a beautiful church, and local shops, it offers a welcome break from the tourist crowds. It’s the perfect spot to watch everyday life unfold, buy local goods, or simply relax and enjoy an espresso while enjoying some people-watching.

One of the most beautiful buildings in Naples, the 19th-century Galleria Umberto I marks the center of the historic downtown like a huge, glass-ceilinged cross. This elegant shopping arcade set between Via Toledo and the San Carlo Theater is included in a number of food and sightseeing tours. It’s the perfect spot for a quick espresso break.

Departing from the west, Vernazza is the second of the Cinque Terre’s five villages after Monterosso. It’s also one of the national park’s most popular places to stay, with a good choice of accommodation and a postcard-perfect backdrop of colorful houses clustered around its tiny harbor. If you find yourself here, hiking, wine tasting, and snapping photos from the Doria Castle ruins are among the top Vernazza things to do.

Pisa’s Leaning Tower may be more famous, but the nearby baptistery (battistero) is equally captivating. Clad in white marble with intricately carved rows of Romanesque and Gothic arches and a cupcake dome, the baptistery is one of the essential sights in the city’s UNESCO-listed cathedral (duomo) complex.

The enormous Trajan’s Column (Colonna di Traiano), located near Quirinal Hill, was built in the second century to commemorate Emperor Trajan’s victory over the Dacians, and it now stands proudly over the ruins of Trajan’s Forum. One of the most intricate ancient landmarks in Rome, the triumphal column is decorated with bas-relief carvings that constitute a diary of battle scenes, a fascinating cipher to its visitors.

Though Italy is known for its Roman ruins, much of the southern part of the peninsula was part of Magna Grecia, the Greek Empire, long before the Roman conquest. Vivid testimony of this ancient Greek occupation can be found at Paestum, with a trio of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world, dating as far back as the sixth century BC.

Giuseppe Sanmartino’s unbelievably realistic sculpture, Veiled Christ, is the unfailing draw to Sansevero Chapel (Museo Cappella Sansevero). The Naples chapel is a riot of baroque sculptures, religious art, and Masonic-inspired design. In an underground chamber, allegedly preserved human circulatory systems display local taste for the occult.

In a city of famous fountains, Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers (Fontana delle Quattro Fiumi) stands out. Located in the center of Piazza Navona, this baroque, 17th-century masterpiece continues to delight hundreds of years later with its ornate animal sculptures, soaring Egyptian obelisk, and cliff-like base decorated with male figures representing the Danube, Ganges, Nile, and La Plata Rivers.

The Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) was the first and most important Imperial Roman road, stretching from Rome to Brindisi. The cobblestone road—built in the 4th century BC to transport supplies and soldiers to strategic points throughout the empire—still exists today, lined with archaeological sites and impressive ruins. Do as the Romans once did and venture beyond the defensive Aurelian Walls (Mure Aureliane) to see the Appian Way’s ancient aqueducts and catacomb-filled countryside.

Built by Duke Francesco I Sforza and later reworked by Bramante, the modest 15th-century Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie is known for housing one of Italy’s most celebrated works of Renaissance art: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, which decorates the refectory wall of the adjoining Dominican convent. Often overshadowed by this groundbreaking mural, the convent’s church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and important cultural treasure in its own right.

The mosaic-filled Monreale Cathedral (Duomo di Monreale) is both one of Italy’s most impressive masterpieces of medieval architecture and one of Sicily’s finest examples of Norman design. The triumph of Norman, Arab, Byzantine and classical elements was built by William II in 1184, and continues to dazzle visitors almost 1,000 years later.

In a city filled with elegant squares fit for royalty, this handsome piazza behind Campo de’ Fiori stands out. It’s home to the grand Farnese Palace (Palazzo Farnese)—now the French Embassy—additional noble palaces and two striking fountains decorated with lilies, the symbol of the Farnese family for whom the piazza and palace are named.

Perched on the slopes of Monte Caputo overlooking the Golden Valley (Conca d’Oro, the medieval village of Monreale earns a spot on the travel map for its magnificent mosaic-filled cathedral. Built by William II in 1184, the cathedral and adjacent cloister are considered among the best examples of Norman architecture in Sicily.

The ornate Fontana dell’Acqua Paola—known in Rome as Il Fontanone, or “the big fountain”—sits at the top of Rome’s Janiculum Hill, one of the city’s tallest. Dating from 1612 and commissioned by Pope Paul V, this terminus of the Acqua Paola aqueduct brought water to Vatican City and Trastevere for the first time. Today, you can admire both the fountain and the view, one of the best in Rome.

If one structure embodies the resilience of Renaissance humanism, it is this 16th-century bridge in the heart of Florence. All but destroyed by retreating Nazis during World War II, the Ponte Santa Trinita was painstakingly rebuilt with original stones salvaged from the Arno River. Ponte Santa Trinita is often overshadowed by Ponte Vecchio, just downriver; however, its elegant elliptical arches and dramatic history make it one of Florence’s most beloved landmarks.

The Neapolis Archaeological Park (Parco Archeologico della Neapolis) is home to many of Syracuse’s most important Greek and Roman ruins, including the Greek Theater dating from the fifth century BC, a third-century-BC sacrificial altar, second-century Roman amphitheater, and a limestone quarry that provided stone for the ancient city.

Castel dell’Ovo, the imposing fortified castle on the island of Megaride in the Bay of Naples, is one of Naples’ most famous monuments. Connected to the mainland by a causeway, the castle—home to the Museum of Ethno-Prehistory—offers sweeping views over the city and Mount Vesuvius in the distance.

Trajan’s Market (Mercati di Traiano) was ancient Rome’s version of the modern-day shopping mall, but it also housed offices for the Imperial Forum. Today, it hosts the Museum of the Imperial Forums (Museo dei Fori Imperiali), which features exhibits on ancient architecture and the many ruins of central Rome. This vast, layered semicircle is one of the most interesting areas of Rome’s Imperial Forums, offering insight into ancient Roman urban planning and everyday life.

Nicknamed the “lasagna church” due to its layered history, Rome’s Basilica of San Clemente offers wonders above and below ground. The interior of the 12th-century church is richly decorated with Cosmatesque mosaics considered among Italy’s best. Below the surface are two levels of ancient ruins, including a fourth-century basilica with medieval frescoes, a Mithraic temple, and the remains of an imperial Roman mint.

For deserted lagoons, turquoise waves, and fabulous beaches, set sail for the Maddalena Archipelago (Arcipelago della Maddalena), just off the Costa Smeralda. The group of seven islands and dozens of islets was long spared the ravages of tourism because its largest island was a NATO base. When the base closed in 2008, the archipelago became a national park, and today it retains an almost undiscovered feel—many of the beaches are accessible only by boat.

Neapolitans boast that the historic San Carlo Opera House (Teatro di San Carlo) was opened in 1737, predating the opening of the famous La Scala in Milan. The opera house is Italy’s largest public theater and one of the oldest in the world, with an opulent interior of gold leaf, red upholstery, and frescoed ceilings. If making it to a performance is not feasible, tours taking in the exterior and exploring the interior are more than worthwhile.

Back in the 13th century, the Venetian trader Marco Polo journeyed along Asia’s storied Silk Road and recorded tales of his adventures in a travelogue, The Travels of Marco Polo. Today, travelers and adventure-seekers pay tribute to his legacy by stopping by Marco Polo's Home (Casa di Marco Polo)—the site believed to be his family’s former residence. While the surrounding houses cannot be visited, the location is marked with a commemorative plaque.

A treasure trove of Roman antiquities, Naples’ National Archaeological Museum is home to more than 3,000 artifacts, including bronzes, mosaics, and papyri recovered at Pompeii and Herculaneum; the Farnese Collection of classical gems, semi-precious stones, and sculpture; and the Egyptian collection.

Bustling Via Toledo is one of the most important shopping streets in the center of Naples, an almost-mile-long stretch lined with a mix of small boutiques and large department stores. Rub elbows with Neapolitans who gather here to browse and socialize, admire Galleria Umberto I, and dine in a traditional side-street trattoria.

Ischia is often overshadowed by its glamorous neighbor, Capri, but this island in Italy's Bay of Naples offers many delights, including natural hot springs, beautiful scenery, excellent cuisine, and the resort towns of Casamicciola Terme and Lacco Ameno. You can visit the island from nearby Naples or Sorrento to relax in the thermal spas, explore the 21 miles (34 kilometers) of coastline, hike the peak of Mt. Epomeo, and dine at its waterfront restaurants.

Perched high above the chaotic historic center, Posillipo Hill is one of the most elegant residential neighborhoods in Naples. This tiny hillside on the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples offers sweeping views over the city and a more urbane atmosphere than the teeming warren of streets below.

Famous for its massive size and opulent style, the Royal Palace of Caserta (Reggia di Caserta) is an icon of late Italian Baroque architecture. Located north of Naples, this palace is the largest royal residence in the world. Visitors travel to the Unesco World Heritage site to see manicured grounds and gardens, 1,200 rooms spread over five floors, and ornate decoration including frescoes, marble, and gold leaf. The palace shares a number of features with the Palace of Versailles and is one of the most visited monuments in southern Italy.