Central Sicily
Caltanissetta's historic centre converges on Piazza Garibaldi, a handsome square flanked by the Duomo, the town hall and the baroque Chiesa di San…
Must-see attractions in Italy
Val d'Orcia
Look out for this Romanesque church at the western edge of Pienza. It dates from the 10th century, when Pienza was called Corsignano, and boasts a strange…
Tyrrhenian Coast
This ancient Greek holy place was founded by Dionysis of Syracuse after his victory over the Carthaginians in 396 BC. The secluded ruins (a basilica, an…
Assisi
In among the churches and medieval streets you can still find a few traces of Assisi's Roman past. Extending beneath Piazza del Commune are the remains of…
Positano
Nestled between trendy boutiques and lemon-themed ceramics shops, Franco Senesi is a bold, uncluttered exhibition space with rooms showcasing work by over…
Bay of Naples
Using computer-generated recreations, this 'virtual archaeological museum' brings ruins such as Pompeii's forum and Capri's Villa Jovis back to virtual…
Positano
Just west of the Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta, this palazzo is now a luxury hotel. It may be beyond your budget to stay here, but you can still visit the…
Messina
Located where Via Garibaldi spills into Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, the 16th-century Fontana del Nettuno (Neptune's Fountain) is one of Messina's great…
Syracuse
A renowned curiosity at the heart of the Latomia del Paradiso (Garden of Paradise) is the ear-shaped artificial grotto known as the Ear of Dionysius…
Syracuse
Loitering beneath Palazzo Municipale are the scant remains of a 6th-century-BC Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis, as well as the modest traces…
Central Sicily
In the suburbs, sporadically signposted from the city centre, the Museo Archeologico displays a collection of prehistoric finds from all over Sicily,…
Erice
Originally built in Gothic style in the 14th century, this church was demolished and completely rebuilt in the late 1600s. Its bright white interior is…
Monterosso
This was the seat for one of two confraternities (secular associations dedicated to doing charitable works) in Monterosso which was active from the 15th…
Southern Tuscany
Grosseto's late-13th-century duomo has a distinctive Sienese character and a particularly beautiful rose window above the main entrance. Much of the…
Western Sardinia
This creepy museum, signposted as the Museo del Territorio, is dedicated to witches and local folklore and features the reconstruction of a 16th-century…
Western Sardinia
Housed in a renovated mill, this civic museum charts Arborea's Mussolini-era origins, including its architectural planning, the influx of new residents…
Centro Storico
The Piè di Marmo is one of the Romans’ favourite monuments. This giant marble foot started life attached to a statue in a 1st-century temple dedicated to…
Venice
This elegant 16th-century Gothic palazzo was the former home of industrialist and philanthropist Vittorio Cini, who filled it with first-class paintings,…
Pistoia
Modern art from 1900 to 1945 is the focus of seasonal exhibitions at Palazzo de' Rossi, an elegant palazzo built for the wealthy Rossi family…
Museo Territoriale del Lago di Bolsena
Lazio
Housed in Bolsena's 13th-century Rocca Monaldeschi at the top of the steeply stacked historic centre, this museum has a small collection of locally…
Vicenza
Designed by Lorenzo di Bologna, construction of Vicenza's cathedral began in the late 15th century. In the mid-16th century, Andrea Palladio added his own…
Southwestern Sardinia
The wooded countryside around Villacidro, an agricultural town best known for its saffron-based liqueur, harbours a number of striking waterfalls. Chief…
Venice
Founded in 829, San Zulian got a Sansovino makeover funded by physician Tomasso Rangone, who made his fortune by selling syphilis cures and secrets to…
Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Carcere
Catania
The young virgin Agata resisted the advances of the nefarious Quintian (AD 250) and was horribly mutilated (her breasts were hacked off and her body…
Palermo
Standing confidently beside the Palazzo dei Normanni is the Porta Nuova (New Gate), built to celebrate the arrival of Carlos V in Palermo in 1535 after a…
Western Sicily
Favignana's centrepiece palazzo is a garden-framed caramel mansion, built in a fancy Liberty style in 1876 for local fishing tycoon Ignazio Florio who…
Modena
The Museo Civico d'Arte is one of two jointly administered city museums – the other beingMuseo Civico Archeologico Etnologico – inside the Palazzo dei…
Piacenza
An ultra-dark church even by Italian standards, Piacenza’s cold, dungeonlike cathedral is classic Romanesque. If you can strain your eyes hard enough, you…
Museo Naturalistico Francesco Minà Palumbo
Tyrrhenian Coast
Named after the naturalist Francesco Minà Palumbo (1814–99), this unassuming museum is housed in the former convent of Santa Venera. Its wide-ranging…
Centro di Visita di Pescasseroli
Abruzzo
The Centro di Visita di Pescasseroli has an Apennine garden and a clinic for rescued animals who can no longer live in the wild on their own. Accommodated…
Centro Storico
Dedicated to iconic military leader Napoleon Bonaparte and his lineage, this museum hosts Napoleonic paintings, sculptures, souvenirs and heirlooms…
Cagliari
Cagliari’s medieval heart is an unlikely place for a collection of Asian art, but that’s exactly what you'll find here. Donated to the city by local…
Central Sicily
Next to the Museo della Ceramica, the Giardino Pubblico is a lovely place to see out the late afternoon, perhaps with an ice cream or a glass of something…
Casa-Museo di Antonino Uccello
Southeastern Sicily
Off Piazza del Popolo is the former home of the poet and scholar Antonino Uccello (1922–79), a museum since 1984. Uccello devoted himself to preserving…
Golfo di Orosei
Signposted 3km north of the intersection of the SP38 and the SS129 (Nuoro–Orosei road), S'Ena 'e Thomes is a fine example of a tomba di gigante (literally…
Rome
Michelangelo's last architectural work, this crenellated structure was commissioned by Pope Pius IV to replace Porta Nomentana, one of the original gates…
Lake Garda
From the centre of Riva, the Bastione is the chalk-white castle clinging to sheer cliffs high above the west edge of town. The 3.5km hike to this…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Designed by Giovanni Antonio Scalfarotto and completed in 1738, this domed neoclassical building was one of the last churches to be built in Venice. It's…
Rome
With its oversized neoclassical facade – added by architect Giovan Battista Caretti to embellish an earlier overhaul by Giuseppe Valadier – Casino Nobile…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Flanked by grand 19th-century neoclassical colonnades, this landmark piazza near Termini was laid out as part of Rome’s post-unification makeover. It…
