Lake Iseo
On the riverfront a little over 1km from the centre, this lovely stile liberty villa was designed by Giuseppe Sommaruga and built in 1907. The best views…
Must-see attractions in Italy
Museo e Tesoro Della Cattedrale
Bergamo
Down the steps right next to the duomo, this glittering museum is filled with sacred art and reliquary from the cathedral's collection, as well as…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
This dramatic monument commemorates Garibaldi's Brazilian-born wife, Anita, who died from malaria, together with their unborn child, shortly after the…
Fiesole
The collection of early Tuscan Renaissance works inside this tiny art museum includes fine medallions by Giovanni della Robbia (c 1505–20) and Taddeo…
Montepulciano
Several mansions line Via di Gracciano nel Corso, including this palace, which has recycled Etruscan and Latin inscriptions and reliefs incorporated into…
Aosta
What remains of the city's Augustan forum mostly lies beneath the 'modern' piazza, although you can visit its colonnaded underground walkway (known as a…
Santa Teresa di Gallura
The 16th-century Torre di Longonsardo is in a magnificent position, overlooking the natural deep port on one side and the entrance to the town's idyllic …
Rome
This museum in the Auditorium Parco della Musica showcases the 500-strong collection of historic musical instruments belonging to the Accademia di Santa…
Umbria
Designed as part of the same 14th-century development project that gave rise to Palazzo dei Consoli, Palazzo del Podestà sits on the eastern flank of…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Towering over Piazza del Popolo, this 36m-high obelisk was brought to Rome by Augustus from Heliopolis in ancient Egypt. It originally stood in the Circo…
Northwestern Tuscany
Visit this lovely ethnographic museum, in San Pellegrino's former hospital, to learn just how little traditional mountain life has changed over the…
Siena
Dedicated to the patron saint of travellers and a popular stop on the medieval Via Francigena pilgrims' route, this church dates from the 11th century but…
Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Valverde
Southwestern Sardinia
Next to the town cemetery, about 750m from Piazza Quintino Sella, is another of Iglesias' historic churches. It retains little of its 13th-century…
Messina
Guarding Messina's harbour is the soaring golden statue of the Madonna della Lettera. A good spot to admire it and the harbour is from the seafront…
Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza
Ferrara
Next door to Pinacoteca Nazionale, this small museum exhibits documents, proclamations and posters from the Italian unification movement and WWII, as well…
Centro Storico
An overhead arch spanning Via Giulia, the Arco Farnese was designed by Michelangelo as part of an unfinished project to connect Palazzo Farnese with Villa…
Fiesole
Fiesole's cathedral, begun in the 11th century, stands sentry over the central square. Look out for the glazed terracotta statue of San Romolo by Giovanni…
Lampedusa
On the island's southeastern edge, this cove with clear waters and a small sandy beach is conveniently close to Lampedusa town, though the rocky bottom…
Centro Storico
Eleven huge Corinthian columns are all that's left of the 2nd-century Tempio di Adriano. The temple formerly housed Rome’s stock exchange and is now used…
Gela
Behind Gela's archaeological museum, you can see the scant remains of the city's ancient Greek acropolis. Adding little to the atmosphere are the belching…
Ancient Rome
This classic Republican-era temple dedicated to the god of rivers and ports, Portunus, owes its current state of preservation to the fact that it was…
Northwestern Tuscany
The far end of Piazza del Duomo is dominated by the 13th-century stone hulk of this deconsecrated church. Once dedicated to St Augustine, today the…
Piedmont
In addition to the unmissable Arco d'Augusto, you can see the remains of a Roman aqueduct and a still-used amphitheatre here, along with a druid well that…
Western Sicily
Just in from the waterfront, the ragged remains of Count Roger's Norman castle have definitely seen better days, but their forlorn ruination is…
Southeastern Sardinia
Villasimius’ archaeology museum harbours a small but interesting collection of Roman and Phoenician artefacts, as well as various odds and ends recovered…
Siena
This handsome Renaissance style structure next to the Chiesa di San Martino was commissioned by Pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini) and built in 1462.
Promontorio del Gargano
Dominated by a huge rose window, the Gothic Chiesa di San Francesco, contemporaneous with Lucera's cathedral, incorporates recycled materials from Lucera…
Rome
Casino dei Principi, one of the three seats of the Musei Villa Torlonia, houses the archive of the Scuola Romana (Roman School of Art) and opens only to…
Cefalù
Apart from a few loose rocks and low crenellated walls, there is nothing left of Il Castello, a Norman castle built atop the old Arab citadel that once…
Eastern Sardinia
About 20km south of Laconi, by the sports centre in Isili, the Nuraghe Is Paras is notable for its striking tholos (beehive-shaped cone), which at 11.8m…
Eastern Sardinia
Rearing above the landscape like a bishop’s mitre, the crag of Monte Scoine attracts climbers to its bolted routes (4b to 6b), especially in summer when…
Southern Tuscany
Porto Ercole's centro storico stretches up the hillside, past the sandwiched-in Chiesa di Sant'Erasmo and up towards the largest of the three Spanish…
Museo del Tessile e del Costume
Spoleto
Housed in Palazzo Rosari-Spada, this museum holds a collection of antique noble finery from the 15th to the 20th century, donated from the wardrobes of…
Stromboli
A major Stromboli landmark, San Vincenzo is the island's main church. In mid- to late afternoon, the square out front becomes a gathering point for…
Catania
Flanking the western edge of Piazza dell'Università, this handsome palazzo includes a courtyard designed by Giovanni Battista Vaccarini. The building…
Pompeii
One of Pompeii's ancient city gates, Porta Ercolano was designed with three passageways. While the central one was used for vehicles, the two peripheral…
Monasterio di Santa Lucia e Agata alla Civita
Matera
A Benedictine convent from the 14th- and 18th-centuries, this church is now used to celebrate civil marriages. The views across the Gravina are…
Taormina
Perched atop Monte Tauro are the (inaccessible) ruins of this castle, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. The castle sits on the former site of…
Agrigento
Upstairs at Monastero di Santo Spirito, the small Museo Civico is worth a quick visit as much for the views over the Valley of the Temples as its poorly…
Mantua
This archway built around 1300 links two palaces with a covered walkway above the street. Look up as you pass beneath the arch to see iron rings on which…
