Isola Maddalena
About 1km out of town, on the road to Cala Spalmatore, this museum exhibits finds from a 1st-century shipwreck. The two modest rooms are presided over by…
Must-see attractions in Italy
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
On the northern flank of Piazza del Popolo, the Porta del Popolo was created by Bernini in 1655 to celebrate Queen Christina of Sweden's defection to…
Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie
Ischia
Check out this church’s 18th-century baroque extravaganza, with its fetching peach-coloured facade, semicircular chapels and elevated terrace popular with…
Chianti
These four Etruscan burial chambers, dating from the 6th century BC, are located off the main road at the northern edge of town. Devotees of Etruscan…
Ferrara
Established in 1938, this museum – closed through to 2023 for restoration after suffering earthquake damage in 2012 – is home to the most important…
Southwestern Sardinia
About 4km south of the Terme di Sardara, a dirt road leads to the empty walls of the Castello Monreale. Built in the 13th century by the governor of…
Rome
In the Auditorium Parco della Musica, this small archaeological museum is dedicated to the ancient Roman villa that was unearthed during construction of…
Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito in Sassia
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
Originally an 8th-century lodging for Saxon pilgrims, this ancient hospital complex was established by Pope Innocent III in the late 12th century. Three…
Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Filippo de Pisis
Ferrara
While normally housing an extensive collection of works by native Ferrara painter and poet Filippo de Pisis (as well as a collection of paintings and…
Bosa
A short walk from Ponte Vecchio on the southern side of the river is the little Chiesa di Sant’Antonio Abate. Featuring a 16th-century Gothic facade in…
Capri
This rugged stone tower, halfway along the road between Anacapri and the Faro (lighthouse), was constructed in 1378 by monks of the Certosa di San Giacomo…
Emilia-Romagna
The humble, sparsely furnished cottage where Giuseppe Verdi was born in 1813 is now a small museum. Grab a tablet at the entrance to take advantage of…
Northeastern Sardinia
Tempio is replete with churches, and an indication of the town’s former importance lies in the presence of the 17th-century Convento degli Scolopi. It’s…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
These ruins are the remains of a monumentally grandiose fountain built by emperor Alexander Severus to mark the end of an aqueduct. This principle of a…
Istituto Internazionale di Elicicoltura
Langhe, Roero & Monferrato
Cherasco is home to the Istituto Internazionale di Elicicoltura, which provides technical advice for snail breeders (heliciculture is edible-snail…
Southeastern Sardinia
Perched on cliffs close to Capo Carbonara, this ruined 14th-century fortress dates back to the time the Aragonese controlled the island. The views over…
Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine
Oltrarno
Fire in the 18th century practically destroyed this 13th-century church, but it spared the magnificent frescoes in its chapel – the entrance to Cappella…
Centro Storico
Visible to the south of the Isola Tiberina are the remains of the Pons Aemilius, ancient Rome’s first stone bridge. Dating to the 2nd century BC, it was…
Aosta
Next to the Porta Praetoria, this imposing tower is named not for the love of French cheese (fromage) but rather after the last descendent of the medieval…
Chiesa di San Gregorio degli Armeni
Livorno
All but destroyed in a WWII bombing, the once-graceful baroque-style facade – gated and chained today – is all that remains of the early 18th-century…
Capri
This ruined medieval fort on Capri's west coast was reconstructed by the French in the early 19th-century. It acts as a useful landmark on the Sentiero…
Southern Rome
Rome's Congress Palace was constructed for the 1942 Universal Exposition, and hosted the fencing during the 1960 Olympics. The enormous terrace above the…
Northwestern Sardinia
In Torralba, this small museum has a scale model of the Nuraghe Santu Antine and a modest collection of finds lifted from the site. Note that at the time…
Southern Rome
Work started on this enormous white travertine and umber brick pile in 1939 for the Esposizione Universale di Roma (Roman Universal Exhibition), but didn…
Ferrara
Normally housing an impressive collection of 19th-century religious, literary and historical art, this museum will be closed through to 2023 for…
Eastern Sardinia
To see a bronze copy of Francesco Ciusa’s La Madre dell’Ucciso (Mother of the Killed), which won a prize at the Venice Biennale in 1907, you should visit…
Palermo
The underwhelming market here was once a notorious den of Mafia activity. It's a much more muted affair these days, outshone by its much more spirited…
Grande Albergo Ausonia & Hungaria
Giudecca, Lido & the Southern Islands
The Lido's take on art nouveau reaches an over-the-top apotheosis in this garish 1907 hotel, decorated with wreath-bearing cherubs and tiles in a…
Southern Rome
This covered stadium was built for the 1960 Olympics and still hosts sporting and entertainment events today, with a capacity of around 12,000.
Capri
Ruined fort on Capri's west coast dating mostly from the early 19th century that acts as a usful landmark on the Sentiero dei Fortini trail.
Capri
Ruined fort on Capri's west coast dating mainly from the early 19th century that acts as a landmark on the Sentiero dei Fortini trail.
Centro Storico
At the southern end of Via Giulia, the Fontana del Mascherone is a 17th-century fountain showing what looks like a gormless hippy surprised by water…
Cortona
At the eastern end of Via Nazionale is this 15th-century church, home to a 1515 painting of the Madonna and Saints by local luminary Luca Signorelli.
Basilica di Santa Maria in Montesanto
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This baroque church on the southern approach to Piazza del Popolo was designed by Carlo Rainaldi in the 17th century.
Boboli & San Miniato al Monte
Pope Gregory X stayed at this early-Renaissance palazzo (palace) when brokering peace between the Guelps and Ghibellines in the 13th century.
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
This small church, set back off the square, is popular with pet owners who bring their animals to be blessed on St Anthony’s feast day (17 January).
Vatican City, Borgo & Prati
This vast landmark palazzo, built to a neo-baroque style between 1888 and 1911, is the seat of Italy's highest court, the Court of Cassation.
Olbia
Worth a look is the 18th-century granite Chiesa di San Paolo, spectacularly topped by a Valencian-style multicoloured tiled dome (added after WWII).
San Gimignano
Occupying a decommissioned 16th-century church, this modest museum has a mournful collection of stuffed birds that dates back to 1886 and looks it.
Isola Maddalena
You could pass half an hour or so inspecting the religious bits and bobs at this museum in the back of the modern Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena.
