Siena
Few buildings have pedigrees as splendid as this 13th-century palace. Home of the Piccolomini family (of which Pope Pius II was the most prominent member)…
Must-see attractions in Italy
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Lorded over by the 17th-century Villa Doria Pamphilj is Rome’s largest landscaped park – many a Roman's favourite place to escape the city noise and…
Florence
Anglo-Italian, Florence-born Frederick Stibbert (1838–1906) was one of the grand 19th-century wheeler-dealers on the European antiquities market and…
Naples
Egyptian-born industrial-designer Karim Rashid is the creative force behind Naples' Università metro station, a playful, candy-coloured ode to the digital…
Sorrento
Noticeably detached from the main city and bereft of the hydrofoils and ferries that crowd Marina Piccola, this secluded former fishing village has a…
Museo delle Tavolette di Biccherne
Siena
Housed in the Renaissance-era Palazzo Piccolomini, Siena's State Archive isn't a usual stop on the standard tourist itinerary, but it provides ample…
Perugia
Lording it over Piazza IV Novembre is Perugia's stark medieval cathedral. A church has stood here since the 900s, but the version you see today was begun…
Ancient Rome
The forums of Trajan, Augustus, Nerva and Caesar are known collectively as the Imperial Forums. They were largely buried when Mussolini bulldozed Via dei…
Eastern Sardinia
Set in dramatic hill country near the dusty town of Orune, this sophisticated and elegant nuraghic well temple dates from the 2nd millennium BC. Reached…
Alghero
On Via Carlo Alberto, the carrer major of the medieval town, the 17th-century Chiesa di San Michele is best known for its maiolica-tiled dome. The present…
Verona
Verona’s 12th-century duomo is a striking Romanesque creation, with bug-eyed statues of Charlemagne’s paladins Roland and Oliver, crafted by medieval…
Matera
Set high up on a spur between the two natural bowls of the sassi, the wan, graceful exterior of the 13th-century Pugliese-Romanesque cathedral makes the…
Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Trastevere’s focal square is a prime people-watching spot. By day it’s full of chatting locals and guidebook-toting tourists; by night it’s the domain...
San Giovanni & Testaccio
With its grassy banks and colourful flower beds, this leafy park is a wonderful place to escape the crowds and enjoy a summer picnic. At its centre is a…
Sorrento
A major hub for shops, restaurants and bars, recently pedestrianised Corso Italia is the main thoroughfare shooting east-west through the bustling centro…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
The guided tours of this opulent palace are among the city's best, introducing visitors to the residence and art collection of the patrician Colonna…
Chiesa San Giovanni a Carbonara
Naples
Sumptuous sculpture and Technicolor frescoes makes this Gothic church worth a detour. Andrea de Firenze, Tuscan sculptors and northern-Italian artists…
Matera
A fascinating Benedictine site dating to the Lombard period, the Cripta del Peccato Originale (Crypt of Original Sin) houses well-preserved 8th-century…
Verona
Dating from the 13th to 15th centuries and featuring an elegantly decorated vaulted ceiling, the Gothic Basilica di Sant’Anastasia is Verona’s largest…
Montepulciano
Montepulciano's main street – called in stages Via di Gracciano, Via di Voltaia, Via dell'Opio and Via Poliziano – climbs up the eastern ridge of the town…
Milan
Situated at the northwestern edge of Parco Sempione is Napoleon's 25m-high triumphal arch. Designed by Luigi Cagnola in 1807, it echoes Paris' Arc de…
Lecce
Piazza del Duomo is a baroque feast, the city's focal point and a sudden open space amid the surrounding enclosed lanes. During times of invasion the…
Naples
This evocative guided tour leads you 40m below street level to explore Naples' ancient labyrinth of aqueducts, passages and cisterns.
Cagliari
Established in 1858, the Orto Botanico is one of Italy’s most famous botanical gardens. Today it extends over 5 hectares and nurtures 2000 species of…
San Remo
Seven kilometres northeast of San Remo lies an intriguing artists' colony. On Ash Wednesday 1887, an earthquake destroyed the village of Bussana Vecchia…
Pompeii
Covering an entire insula (city block) and claiming two atria at its front end (humbler homes had one), Pompeii's largest private house is named after the…
Naples
One of the best spots to chill with a spritz is this free-spirited, bar-lined square. Featuring excavated ruins from the city's 4th-century Greek city…
Cilento Coast
Although it doesn’t have the hype of its Capri counterpart, Palinuro’s Grotta Azzurra is similarly spectacular, with a brilliant play of light and hue.
Bay of Naples
South of Oplontis, Stabiae stood on the slopes of the Varano hill overlooking what was then the sea and is now modern Castellammare di Stabia. Here at…
Milan
Though born a few centuries too late, the Bagatti Valsecchi brothers, Fausto and Giuseppe, were determined to be Renaissance men, and from 1878 to 1887…
Palazzo Morando Costume Moda Immagine
Milan
Dominating Via Sant'Andrea is the baroque facade of the Palazzo Morando Attendolo Bolognini, home to the Bolognini family until 1945. The personal…
Bay of Naples
Some 2km up Via Rosini, which becomes Via Solfatara (about 900m north of the metro), the surreal Solfatara crater was known to the Romans as the Forum…
Civico Planetario Ulrico Hoepli
Milan
Deep stargazing has found its place in Italy’s biggest planetarium. Not only will it open your eyes to the wonders of the universe, it does so in very…
Milan
Annually, nearly 100 million people pass through these hulking portals and onto train platforms beneath a cinematic cylindrical glass roof. Begun in 1912…
Catania
Taking centre stage on Catania's showpiece Piazze del Duomo is the city's most memorable monument, the smiling Fontana dell'Elefante (Fountain of the…
Venice
The Ghetto's largest synagogue was founded by Portuguese and Spanish refugees around 1580. Its current grand incarnation, dating from the 17th century,…
Pompeii
The oldest and most important of Pompeii's religious buildings, the Tempio di Apollo largely dates from the 2nd century BC, including the striking…
Bay of Naples
Dating back to the 8th century BC, Cuma was the first Greek settlement on the Italian mainland. Its ruins are shrouded in ancient mythology: in Virgil's…
Castelli Romani
Dominating Castel Gandolfo's skyline, the 17th-century Palazzo Apostolico was the pope's traditional summer residence. However, since 2016 it has been…
Parma
Rebuilt to original plans after WWII bombing, this stunning theatre is almost entirely made out of wood. The great Monteverdi, frustrated by the theatre's…
