Lecce
This fascinating museum outlines the Jewish history of Lecce and the greater Salento region. Entry is by 30-minute guided tour only, running every 45…
Must-see attractions in Italy
Salento
An aperture on the Ionian coast below Castro leads into the magnificent stalactite-festooned Cave of Zinzulusa, one of the most significant coastal…
Museo all’Aperto delle 5 Torri
Veneto Dolomites
Thanks to the heavenly views from the Cinque Torri, the area was a hotspot of fighting during WWI, when the Italian army established their artillery…
Southeastern Sicily
The Unesco-listed 18th-century Palazzo Beneventano is Sicilian baroque on steroids. Fantastical stone creatures taunt, terrorise or merely bemuse from the…
Paestum
Dating from about 450 BC, the limestone Tempio di Nettuno is the largest and best preserved of Paestum's trio of temples; only parts of its inside walls…
Lazio
A landmark for miles around, Bracciano's 15th-century castle is a formidable sight with its crenellated walls and round towers. Inside, it harbours a…
Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini
Palermo
In the southwestern corner of the Quattro Canti is this 17th-century church, topped by an elegant cupola designed by Giuseppe Mariani and flanked by the…
Erice
This 12th- to 13th-century Norman castle was built over the Temple of Venus, long a site of worship for the ancient Elymians, Phoenicians, Greeks and…
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza
Ancona
Contrasting sharply with the industrial scenery of the nearby port, the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Piazza is one of Ancona's showpiece churches. Its…
Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli
Turin
On the rooftop of the Lingotto building, 3km south of the centre, this intimate gallery houses the personal collection of late Fiat head Gianni Agnelli,…
Ancient Rome
Towering over the Foro di Traiano, Trajan's column (AD 113) is adorned with a microscopically-detailed spiral frieze illustrating the Romans' victorious…
Chiesa di San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes
Western Sardinia
This charming 12th-century Romanesque church, which once belonged to the Knights of St John of Jerusalem, forms the centrepiece of the tiny woodland…
Turin
Turin's central square is lined with museums, theatres and cafes. The city's Savoy heart, although laid out from the mid-1300s, was mostly constructed…
Museo per la Storia dell'Università di Pavia
Pavia
Pavia's venerable university is one of the oldest in Europe and is still a thriving seat of learning. Architects Piermarini (author of La Scala) and…
Western Sicily
This museum on San Pantaleo island, 10km north of Marsala, houses a unique collection of Phoenician artefacts assembled over decades by amateur…
Lake Maggiore
One of the last remaining wooded wetlands in Lombardy, this 400-hectare site has several trails including a lakeside path with fine views across the reed…
Northwestern Sardinia
Lording it over the hilltop centro storico is the medieval Castello, the centrepiece around which the original town was built. Constructed in the 12th…
Museo del Succorpo della Cattedrale
Bari
This subterranean museum beneath Bari cathedral reveals well-preserved remnants of an ancient Christian basilica and various Roman ruins. This fascinating…
Parco Nazionale dell'Aspromonte
Calabria
Most Italians think of the Parco Nazionale dell’Aspromonte as a hiding place used by Calabrian kidnappers in the 1970s and ’80s. It’s still rumoured to…
Basilica della Beata Vergine della Ghiara
Reggio Emilia
Reggio's most important church was built in 1596 to honour the miracle of a deaf and blind boy named Marchino who regained his voice and hearing after…
South Coast
Sabaudia's fabulous beach stretches for kilometres. A wide expanse of fine, soft sand flanked by billowing dunes capped by Mediterranean scrub, it's…
Ravenna
A museum with a difference, this religious gem is on the 2nd floor of the Archiepiscopal Palace. It hides two not-to-be-missed exhibits: an exquisite…
Le Marche
Once the residence of a powerful noble family, the 16th-century Palazzo Mosca provides the aristocratic setting for Pesaro's premier museum. Of the…
The Italian Lakes
One of the most beautiful fortified hilltop towns in Lombardy, Montesegale dates from the 11th century and overlooks the almond and chestnut forests of…
Cala Gonone
About 3.5km south of town (follow Viale del Bue Marino) is this captivating rocky inlet backed by a deep green valley. From here you can hike over the…
Spoleto
Dominating the skyline above Spoleto, this formidable fortress was built on the summit of Colle Sant’Elia as part of a 14th-century campaign to reassert…
Naples
Parco di Capodimonte makes for a blissful chill, with lakes, a wood and various 18th-century buildings, including former royal porcelain workshop Palazzo…
Emilia-Romagna
Day-hikers can scale Pietra di Bismantova (1047m), a stark limestone outcrop visible for miles around that's popular with climbers and weekend walkers…
Padua
At the southern edge of the historical centre, this odd, elliptical garden was long used as a communal sports ground. Today it's a popular spot for locals…
Lago Trasimeno
This island, accessible by ferry from San Feliciano, is a delight – not so much for its sights, of which there aren't many, but for its glorious unspoiled…
Genoa
The best way to admire the beauty of Genoa is to head to the hills above the city centre. This leafy lookout provides some of the best views over la…
Tropea
Tropea's number-one photo opp is Santa Maria dell'Isola, a medieval monastic church given several facelifts over centuries of wear and tear (mainly…
The Veneto
The most romantic Brenta villa, the Palladio-designed, Unesco-listed Villa Foscari (built 1555–60) got its nickname La Malcontenta from a grande dame of…
Umbria
Head to this viewing balcony at the top of town for a living postcard view across the bucolic countryside below – on a clear day you can make out Assisi …
Lipari
Down near Lipari's southwesternmost tip, this high perch commands unparalleled views south to Vulcano (backed by Mt Etna on a clear day), and west into a…
Southern Rome
Among Rome’s largest and oldest, these wonderful catacombs stretch for about 17km. They were established on the private burial ground of Flavia Domitilla,…
Western Sardinia
One of the peninsula's most famous beaches, Is Aruttas is a pristine arc of white sand fronted by translucent aquamarine waters. For years its quartz sand…
Turin
The state-of-the-art Juventus Stadium has a museum that will blind you with its silverware (32 Serie A titles – and the rest!) and proudly recounts how it…
The Italian Lakes
The ‘Royal Gardens’ run to a modest 40 hectares and couch the Villa Reale in a sea of artfully cultivated greenery. They were one of Northern Italy's…
Central Sicily
Of the rooms on the northern side of the peristyle, the most interesting is a dining room featuring a hunting mosaic called the Little Hunt – 'little'…
