Italy attractions

Perhaps one of the world’s most beloved architectural mistakes, the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s inimitable tilt has made the UNESCO World Heritage Site an Italian icon. While travelers flock to snap photos of themselves “holding up” the tilted tower—originally intended as a bell tower for Pisa Cathedral—you can also ascend the 294-step spiral staircase for stunning views over Pisa.

One of the most famous and sumptuous squares in Rome, Piazza Navona is home to the baroque Church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, overlooking Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s monumental Fountain of the Four Rivers, and sitting atop the ancient remains of the Stadium of Domitian. Bustling outdoor restaurants, street artists and performers, and the occasional market lend a lively air to the otherwise stately square, making it a place to be both morning and night.

Home to what may be the most famous sculpture in the world, the Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell’Accademia) is one of the top museums in Florence. Aside from Michelangelo’s renowned statue of David, other works of art on display include Renaissance paintings by artists such as Sandro Botticelli and Filippino Lippi, unfinished Michelangelo sculptures, and a rare collection of musical instruments.

Towering between the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, the Arch of Constantine remains one of the most impressive ancient monuments in Rome, nearly 2,000 years after its construction. At 69 feet (21 meters) tall, it is the largest triumphal arch in Rome, and the latest built of those standing in the city. Decorated with reliefs and inscriptions praising the achievements of Constantine, this much-photographed landmark is a highlight of ancient Rome tours.

More than 500 years in the making, Milan Duomo is the city’s grand cathedral that’s resplendent with its Gothic gargoyles, spires, statues, and pinnacles. Many visit it to discover its wow factor rather than its religious significance, soaking up the views that sweep from its rooftop terraces over Milan. A museum and small archaeological area are also on-site.

One of the most famous sights in all of Tuscany—perhaps all of Italy—stands in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa. This grassy expanse is home to the city’s cathedral complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes the Duomo, Monumental Cemetery, and Opera del Duomo Museum. The headliner, however, is the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

No matter where you are in Florence, chances are you’ll spot this famous Duomo, a defining element of the city’s history, geography, and identity. Beneath its red-tiled dome lies Florence’s largest church, officially called the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. The Duomo complex, which houses the Opera del Duomo Museum (Museo dell’Opera del Duomo), the Florence Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovanni), and Giotto’s Bell Tower (Campanile di Giotto), is the city’s most famous landmark.

Piazza della Signoria is the most important public square in Florence, home to the fortress-like Palazzo Vecchio—both a museum and the Tuscan capital’s city hall—and the Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air sculpture gallery with masterpieces by Giambologna and Cellini. The political heart of Florence in medieval and Medici times, today’s piazza is an elegant meeting place to sip spritzes and cappuccinos while admiring the stately Fountain of Neptune.

The Spanish Steps are one of Rome’s most recognizable landmarks, connecting the Piazza di Spagna to the Trinità dei Monti church and the ancient Sallustiano Obelisk. Countless postcards and films, including Roman Holiday, have immortalized the 18th-century staircase’s more than 130 steps, and the surrounding square with bustling shops and cafés has long served as a meeting place for locals and visitors alike.

The Ponte Vecchio—or Old Bridge—is perhaps the most recognized symbol of Florence after Brunelleschi’s Dome. Stretching across the Arno River, the pretty pedestrian bridge is lined with pocket-sized jewelry stores and viewpoints over the city’s colorful riverside palazzi. The windows that run along the top of the 14th-century bridge hint at the Vasari Corridor—a secret passageway built for the Medici family and now accessible to the public.

The symbol of Capri—and one of the island’s most striking natural features—this trio of soaring rock spurs jutting out from the waters of the Mediterranean are a dramatic sight from both land and sea. Take in their craggy beauty from one of the island’s many scenic overlooks, or sail past on a boat tour.

St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco), often referred to as “the drawing room of Europe,” is one of the most famous squares in Italy. The geographic and cultural heart of Venice—with St. Mark’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace at one end, the campanile towering above, and the Procuratie palaces’ colonnaded arcade lining three sides—this elegant piazza is steeped in history. Soak in the square’s Renaissance splendor at one of its many coveted café tables.

Rome’s Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo)—a massive arena for chariot races, gladiator games, religious ceremonies, and civic events—could once hold an audience of 150,000, making it the largest hippodrome in the Roman Empire. Built during Julius Caesar’s reign, on the plain between the Aventine and Palatine hills, the arena is now a public park and archaeological site comprising arched stadium walkways, ancient shops and inns, and the circus track’s oblong outline and starting gates.

Venice is a city built on water, and the Grand Canal (Canale Grande) is its bustling main street. Lined with sumptuous Venetian palaces and crowded with gondolas, water taxis, and vaporetti (public water buses), this thoroughfare is a feast for the senses. The Grand Canal winds its way through the central neighborhoods of Venice from the Santa Lucia train station to St. Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco), passing under the iconic Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) along the way, and functions as the scenic main artery for transporting both people and goods around the City of Canals.

Most visitors to Rome pass through Piazza Venezia—an important inner-city intersection in front of the immense Vittorio Emanuele Monument—at least once, even if only for its views of the impressive monument. This busy, sprawling intersection has a vast grassy island at its center and fringes of pedestrian space, making it technically a square. However, its real function is to keep the Eternal City’s car and bus traffic flowing rather than act as a leisure space.

One of the most famous bridges in Venice, and indeed in Italy, the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) is the oldest and grandest of the bridges that cross the city’s Grand Canal. But the Rialto isn’t just a public convenience that links the San Marco and San Polo districts; it’s also a stone marvel that adds to Venice’s elegant cityscape and is home to two rows of small stores and one of the city’s finest viewpoints.

The coastline of Capri is dotted with unique sea caves, and though the Blue Grotto may be the most famous, the White Grotto is one of the most spectacular. Named for the white stalactites that hang from its roof and the layers of calcareous material that coat its sides, this cavern is a popular stop on boat tours of the island.

One of several natural sea caves along Capri's rugged coastline, the Green Grotto (Grotta Verde) is known for the unique green light that filters through the water and reflects onto the walls, creating a striking, dreamy atmosphere inside.

The Uffizi Galleries (Gallerie degli Uffizi) house one of the world’s most significant collections of art, drawing in more than a million annual visitors who wish to cast their eyes upon its many masterpieces. Set in the heart of Florence, the museum contains the works of artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Botticelli, and Giotto, among others. It is the premier place to view Italian Renaissance art and is the most-visited museum in the country.

Bohemian Trastevere is one of Rome’s most historic and picturesque neighborhoods—a maze of cobblestone streets lined with lively restaurants, sidewalk cafés, and bars. Across the Tiber River (Fiume Tevere) from the center of Rome (hence the area’s name, which means "across the Tiber"), Trastevere is home to one of Rome’s oldest churches, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere (built in AD 340), and a wealth of artwork, including Raphael frescoes at Villa Farnesina.

Situated in a former Borghese family estate, Rome’s Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese) houses much of the eponymous family’s vast collection of antiquities, paintings, and sculptures across 22 rooms and two floors. Highlights include paintings by Titian, Raphael, Caravaggio, and Rubens, as well as several Bernini sculptures.

Piazza del Popolo is one of Rome’s largest public squares, marking the start of the ancient Via Flaminia. One side is anchored by the twin Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto churches. The 15th-century Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo—home to works by Raphael, Bernini, and Caravaggio—sits opposite, with a towering Egyptian obelisk marking the center. Don’t miss the scenic overlook from Pincio Gardens, connected by a switchback lane and pedestrian stairs.

Siena’s central Piazza del Campo is one of the most beautiful and famous squares in Tuscany. This sweeping, shell-shaped space is anchored by the magnificent Palazzo Pubblico (home to the Museo Civico) and soaring Torre del Mangia tower, and hosts the historic Palio di Siena festival each July and August.

The culprit behind Pompeii’s burial in AD 79, Mt. Vesuvius is one of Europe’s most infamous active volcanoes. While it’s currently enjoying a long dormant spell, scientists are constantly monitoring its seismic activity to avoid history repeating itself, and to reassure locals and visitors alike. Today, Mt. Vesuvius is a popular tourist attraction in southern Italy, and travelers often combine a trip to Pompeii with a visit to see the volcano that buried it.

One of the mainstays of daily life in Italy is shopping at the market, and for many Romans, the market means Campo de’ Fiori. In the morning, this historic square hosts one of the city’s most famous open-air food markets, where you can pick up fruit, vegetables, flowers, and souvenirs. By night, the vendors are gone, but Campo de’ Fiori’s many cafés and bars fill with young locals and visitors.

Piazzale Michelangelo is the most famous scenic overlook in Florence, affording visitors spectacular views over the city and its landmarks. From this 19th-century square set on a hillside in the Oltrarno neighborhood, you can see the Ponte Vecchio stretching across the Arno River and the iconic Florence Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) soaring over the city’s rooftops, with the Tuscan hills rolling in the distance.

Tucked between Amalfi Coast superstars Positano and Amalfi, Praiano has managed to retain the feel of a quiet fishing village, with a slower pace and fewer crowds than its flashier neighbors. Rocky beaches and steep, winding lanes deliver views of colorful clifftop houses and the Li Galli rock formations in the distance. Admire local landmarks such as the beautifully tiled Piazza San Gennaro, then leave plenty of time to linger by the seaside.

Hidden underground in Rome’s outskirts, the sites known collectively as the Catacombs of Rome (Catacombe di Roma) include some of the city’s most ancient burial complexes. Dating from around the 2nd to 5th centuries, these underground networks of tunnels and chambers include early Christian symbols, often in the form of frescoes and sculptures—including the oldest known depiction of the Virgin Mary inside the Catacombs of Priscilla.

Commissioned by Julius Caesar in the final years of the Roman Republic and completed under the reign of Emperor Augustus, the Theater of Marcellus (Teatro di Marcello) predates the Colosseum, which it resembles in style. Visiting offers a glimpse into the lives of the ancient Romans, with far fewer crowds than the better-known Colosseum and Roman Forum.

Few natural landmarks are as emblematic of Sicily as Mt. Etna, the conical-shaped volcano that stands watch over Catania on the east coast. The UNESCO World Heritage–listed geological wonder takes the title of the world’s most active stratovolcano, with its first eruption dating back more than 500,000 years and its most recent in 2025. When it’s not spurting lava, it’s known for its hiking, skiing, and scenic train and cable car rides.