Italy attractions

One of the liveliest squares in the heart of Rome, Piazza della Rotonda is lined with bustling bars, historical cafés, and alfresco restaurant tables. The piazza was built around the Pantheon, one of the city’s most famous ancient monuments, although its fanciful Renaissance marble fountain also draws focus.

Pisa’s most famous attraction may be its Leaning Tower, but for centuries its heart was Knights’ Square (Piazza dei Cavalieri), remodeled by the architect Vasari in the 16th century into a classic example of Renaissance civic planning. Today, the square is home to Pisa’s university in the medieval center.

Of Rome’s 30-odd bridges over the Tiber River, only Ponte Sisto directly connects Trastevere with Campo de’ Fiori—two of the historic center’s liveliest neighborhoods. Take the short walk across for views of Tiber Island and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica or to watch street performers entertaining tourists. From the riverbanks, look up to admire the bridge’s graceful arches and the papal coat of arms covered in travertine marble.

With its warren of narrow alleys crammed with tiny stores, barbershops, and bars, the Quartiere Spagnoli is one of the most atmospheric neighborhoods in the historic center. Tour this lively district to get a feel for life in Naples’ chaotic center, and to visit the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli and Palazzo Serra di Cassano.

Just outside the town of Piazza Armerina in southern Sicily, the ruins of Villa Romana del Casale are home to the world’s largest collection of ancient Roman mosaics. These incredible designs date from the fourth century and were stunningly preserved by a 12th-century landslide before being unearthed in the 19th century.

Beloved by both pilgrims and art aficionados, the Church of St. Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli) displays the chains believed to have bound Saint Peter when the Romans imprisoned him in Jerusalem. First built in the fifth century, the church today is also home to Michelangelo’s Moses, a Renaissance masterpiece he sculpted for the unfinished monumental tomb of Pope Julius II.

The Path of the Gods (Sentiero Degli Dei) hiking trail skirts the peaks above the Amalfi Coast, rewarding you with spectacular bird’s-eye views of the coastline and Mediterranean Sea far below. There are several different possible routes, but most travelers walk it as a 1-way downhill hike from Agerola to Nocelle, where you can follow a formidable array of steps down to Positano.

With so many cultural treasures in Florence, San Miniato al Monte, perched high up on a hilltop outside the city, would be easy to skip. However, this handsome church is considered among the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in Tuscany. Its intricate exterior stonework, 13th-century apse mosaic, and sweeping views over Florence make the effort to reach it worthwhile. Be sure to visit the church’s crypt, decorated with frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi.

Dedicated to the fifth-century bishop Petronius, who became Bologna’s patron saint, the San Petronio Basilica (Basilica di San Petronio) dominates Piazza Maggiore in the heart of the city. One of the largest churches in the world and a soaring example of Gothic grandeur, the basilica Is a highlight of any Bologna city tour.

One of the legendary seven hills on which Rome was built, Aventine Hill (Aventino) features prominently in the Eternal City’s founding myth (it’s the hill that Remus is said to have chosen). A quiet residential district, Aventine Hill offers a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, as well as sweeping views of the rooftops of Rome and St. Peter’s Basilica, including through a keyhole on the gate to the Knights of Malta.

Ravenna is known for its Byzantine mosaics, considered among the finest in the world. The most magnificent cover the interiors of the UNESCO-listed San Vitale Basilica with a show-stopping explosion of glittering gold, eye-popping color, and intricate compositions that remain glorious despite the passage of 1,500 years.

The burial place of more than two dozen Venetian doges and dignitaries, the 15th-century Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo—known by locals as San Zanipolo—is among the most important churches in Venice. The sheer scale of the massive Gothic structure is impressive, but don’t miss the interior, which displays elaborate tombs and artistic masterpieces by Giovanni Bellini, Paolo Veronese, and other Italian greats.

Of Turin’s many baroque squares, Piazza San Carlo is a standout. Lined with porticoed palaces housing historic cafés, and the twin churches of Santa Cristina and San Carlo Borromeo, this square on Via Roma between Piazza Castello and Piazza Carlo Felice is one of the liveliest in the city.

Dedicated to the great Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri, this house museum is set on the foundations of his family’s 13th-century home. Here you can see reproductions of early manuscripts of The Divine Comedy, along with interactive displays that provide some background on Dante’s life and Florence in the 13th century.

With its wraparound lake views, a 13th-century castle, and thermal springs, Sirmione has been a favorite for Lake Garda travelers throughout history—the Roman poet Catallus and the opera singer Maria Callas were both drawn here. Today, the town is attractive both for sightseeing and as a base for exploring Lake Garda, plus nearby cities such as Verona, Brescia, and Mantova.

The Column of Marcus Aurelius (Colonna di Marco Aurelio) is a majestic Roman victory column in the heart of Piazza Colonna. Modeled after the more famous Trajan’s Column (Colonna di Traiano), it features similar carvings spiraling upwards from its base to the capital. Atop the column—if you can spot it—sits a statue of St. Paul, which was added by Pope Sixtus V in the 16th century. It’s the clear highlight of the piazza, to which it gives its name, and is a symbol of Roman political life.

UNESCO-listed along with other glorious Byzantine mosaic masterpieces in Ravenna, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia is a testament to the short period when the city was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. Its vaulted interior glitters with mosaics dating from around AD 430, among the oldest in the city.

Among the many masterpieces inside St. Peter’s Basilica, Michelangelo’s majestic and moving La Pietà is perhaps the crown jewel. The Renaissance artist carved the statue from a single block of Carrara marble in the late 1490s, and it is the only work he signed. This life-size depiction of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of Christ blends classical ideals of beauty with startling naturalism and is one of the world’s most important works of art.

Positano’s photogenic cascade of pastel-hued houses is striking, but one of the most remarkable details is the colorful tiled dome of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta (Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta). Lovely from the outside, the church is also an architectural delight within, and home to a 12th-century Byzantine-style icon of a Black Madonna and Child.

Like the architectural version of a Russian doll, the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli (Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli) is a church within a church. The grand basilica, one of the largest in the world, was built over and around the tiny 13th-century Porziuncola: a humble stone chapel where St. Francis founded his order and began the first Franciscan community. A popular religious pilgrimage destination, this church and its adjacent convent are also of interest to architecture and history enthusiasts.

Castel Gandolfo is one of the prettiest of the Castelli Romani, a group of 17 medieval walled villages just outside Rome. The town is best known for its Apostolic Palace—a historic summer residence for popes, now a museum with scenic gardens and ruins from Emperor Domitian’s villa. With sweeping views over Lazio’s rolling hills and Lake Albano, Castel Gandolfo offers a nearby respite from Italy’s bustling capital city.

The Medici Chapels are the burial place of several members of Florence’s most powerful family, and they’re decorated with all the Renaissance bells and whistles you’d expect. Part of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the marble-filled mausoleum’s New Sacristy houses some of Michelangelo’s best-known masterpieces: the reclining figures of Night,Day,Dawn, and Dusk, expertly sculpted for the tombs of Medici dukes.

Piazza de Ferrari is the expansive main square in Genoa, separating the historic district from the modern city center. Its large fountain is the square’s centerpiece and a central meeting point for tourists and locals alike. The piazza is named for Raffaele de Ferrari, who donated a lot of money to help expand Genoa’s port in the 1800s.

One of the most elegant and panoramic spots on Capri, this villa built by Swedish doctor and author Axel Munthe at the turn of the 20th century today houses an eclectic collection amassed during his travels. Admire art and antiquities, stroll through the lush gardens, and take in sweeping views across the Bay of Naples.

Marsala is internationally known for its namesake wine. But this port city on Sicily’s western coast is also a charming cultural destination, with archaeological ruins, a 15th-century Benedictine monastery, and a delightful historic center.

Venice sits across a network of islands in the Venetian Lagoon (Laguna Veneta), a sheltered bay on the Adriatic Sea spanning 212 square miles (549 square kilometers). Beyond the main islands, visitors can take a boat trip to the lagoon’s colorful and historic outposts, including Burano with its vibrant houses and lace, Murano famed for its glassmaking, and Torcello, which is home to ancient churches.

The 11th-century Villa Cimbrone is now a luxury hotel and restaurant, but its formal English-style gardens are open to the public. The grounds were reworked in the early 20th century, and today are dotted with rose gardens, statuary, temples, and a Moorish pavilion. The crown jewel is the Terrace of Infinity (Terrazza dell’Infinito), which offers one of the top views on the Amalfi Coast.

Laid out in the early 16th century under the papacy of Pope Julius II, Via Giulia is one of Rome’s most elegant thoroughfares. This cobblestone lane connecting Piazza dell’Oro with Piazza San Vincenzo Palloti is framed by ivy-covered arches and lined with historic churches and palaces, shops, and restaurants—making it a perfect place for a quintessentially Roman stroll. Highlights along the route include Michelangelo’s Arco Farnese, the adjoining Palazzo Farnese, and the Fontana del Mascherone.

Elegant Turin, which was the seat of the Duchy of Savoy before briefly becoming the first capital of unified Italy, is home to a number of sumptuous historic palaces and castles. The Royal Palace of Turin (Palazzo Reale di Torino) is among the most opulent, and today it houses the Royal Museums, with an extensive art collection, armory, and gardens.

Commemorating the influential Della Scala family, the Scaliger tombs are a series of five Gothic funerary monuments found outside the Santa Maria Antica church in Verona. Dating back to the 14th century, the monuments are famous for their elaborate decoration.