Central Lombardy
Behind the San Giacomo church, this brick structure dates from the 15th century and is one of the only seven-sided towers in Italy. The number seven was chosen by the Augustinians to represent the seven sacraments. It leans slightly following an 1802 earthquake.
For the best view, walk along Via San Pio V.
19.74 MILES
You could spend a whole day in this monster of a museum housed in an ex-monastery and still have plenty left for another visit. Those with limited time…
19.89 MILES
Cremona’s history echoes to sound of violins and violin-making, meaning a visit to this relatively new, state-of-the-art museum is practically obligatory…
23.13 MILES
Just east of the old city walls is one of Italy's great art repositories. Founded in 1780, it contains an exceptional range of Italian masters. Raphael's…
23.4 MILES
Bergamo's colossal, square-based Torre del Campanone soars 52m above the city. It still tolls a bell at 10pm, the legacy of an old curfew. Taking the lift…
23.4 MILES
On the northwest side of Piazza Vecchia, the fresco-dappled Palazzo del Podestà was traditionally home to Venice's representative in Bergamo. Today, the…
23.39 MILES
The Upper Town's beating heart is the cafe-clad Piazza Vecchia, lined by elegant architecture that is a testament in stone and brick to Bergamo's long and…
19.8 MILES
Welcome to an ecclesial colossus. Cremona’s cathedral started out as a Romanesque basilica, but the simplicity of that style later gave way to an…
18.65 MILES
On the north bank of the Adda river, a short stroll from the centre, this ambitious art installation blends the natural world with the religious in…
0.08 MILES
A Jewish family on the run from persecution in Germany wound up here in the mid-15th century, changed the family name to Sonsino and began a trade that,…
0.17 MILES
With its four stout towers, crenellations, moat and drawbridge, you can almost see the Rocca of Soncino under siege by some enemy of Milan's Sforza clan,…
0.47 MILES
Soncino's most impressive church is outside the old centre, about a 12-minute walk (1km) from the Rocca Sforzesca. The plain brick facade hides a fabulous…
4. Santuario di Santa Maria della Croce
8.74 MILES
One of the most striking Renaissance structures in Lombardy, the Santuario di Santa Maria della Croce lies about 1.5km north of the old town along Viale…
9.43 MILES
Completed in 1341, Crema's photogenic cathedral sports a giant facciata a vento (wind facade) and is of typically Lombard Gothic style, which uses…
6. Chiesa dei Santi Fermo e Rustico
12.99 MILES
One of Caravaggio's highlights is the impressive Chiesa dei Santi Fermo e Rustico, with a brick Gothic facade, fine frescoes and an imposing 16th-century…
7. Santuario della Madonna di Caravaggio
13.1 MILES
The Santuario della Madonna di Caravaggio is a grandiose building started at the orders of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan, after an alleged…
13.47 MILES
In Pagazzano, 25km straight south of Bergamo, is this decidedly fortress-like Visconti castle, which is surrounded by a (filled) moat. The museum inside…