Map view
Pantheon, Rome
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Former Roman temple and, since 609 AD, a Catholic church in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD)
- It was rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated c. 126 AD
- Its date of construction is uncertain, because Hadrian chose not to inscribe the new temple but rather to retain the inscription of Agrippa's older temple, which had burned down
Colosseum, Rome
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome
- It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world today
- Construction began under the emperor Vespasian (69–79 AD) in 72
- The three emperors that were patrons of the work are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre was named the Flavian Amphitheatre by later classicists and archaeologists for its association with their family name (Flavius)
Castel Sant'Angelo, Vatican City
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Towering cylindrical building initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family
- The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum
- The structure was once the tallest building in Rome
Florence Cathedral
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- The cathedral of Florence, it was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and was structurally completed by 1436, with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi
- The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white, and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- Campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral, known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation
- The tower began to lean during construction in the 12th century, due to soft ground which could not properly support the structure’s weight
- It worsened through the completion of construction in the 14th century
- By 1990, the tilt had reached 5.5 degrees
- In 2001, the structure was stabilized by remedial work which reduced the tilt to 3.97 degrees
Vatican Museums, Vatican City
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- The Vatican Museums are the public museums of the Vatican City
- They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world
- Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century
- The Sistine Chapel, with its ceiling and altar wall decorated by Michelangelo, and the Stanze di Raffaello (decorated by Raphael) are on the visitor route through the Vatican Museums
Uffizi, Florence
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- Art museum in the Historic Centre of Florence
- One of the largest and best known collections in the world, holding priceless works, particularly from the Italian Renaissance
- One of the first modern museums, opening in 1581
- Art collections were gifted to the city of Florence after the ruling house of Medici died out
Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua
Best time to visit: May-Sept
Cost: $
- Catholic church and minor basilica in Padua, dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua
- Although the basilica is visited as a place of pilgrimage by people from all over the world, it is not the cathedral of the city, a title belonging to the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Mary of Padua
- It is one of the national shrines recognized by the Holy See
Villa Rufolo, Amalfi Coast
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Villa within the historic center of Ravello, a town in the province of Salerno, southern Italy, which overlooks the front of the cathedral square
- The initial layout dates from the 13th century, with extensive remodeling in the 19th century
Sentiero Azzurro: Monterosso al Mare - Vernazza, Cinque Terre National Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Protected area inducted as an Italian national park in 1999
- It is the smallest national park in Italy at 4,300 acres, but also the densest with 5,000 permanent inhabitants among the five towns
Cala Goloritzé, Baunei
Best time to visit: April-June
Cost: $
- Beach that is one of the most evocative of Sardinia, and was created by a landslide in 1962
- It is famous for its high pinnacle of 143 meters above the cove
- Another feature of the beach is the natural arch that opens on the right side of the bay
Gardaland
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Opened in 1975, the resort is adjacent to Lake Garda
- Sporting both traditional attractions and entertainment shows, it attracts nearly 3 million visitors every year
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Italy's oldest active shopping gallery and a major landmark of Milan
- Housed within a four-story double arcade in the centre of town, the Galleria is named after Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the Kingdom of Italy
- It was designed in 1861 and built between 1865 and 1877
Milan Cathedral
Best time to visit: April-May, Sept-Oct
Cost: $
- Cathedral church of Milan dedicated to the Nativity of St Mary, and it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan
- The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete: construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965
- It is the largest church in Italy, the larger St. Peter’s Basilica is in the State of Vatican City
#27 in Best Landmarks in the World
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave partially completed with Michaelangelo
- Largest church in the world
- Completed in 1626
- The burial place of Saint Peter, one of Jesus's Apostles and also the first Bishop of Rome
#19 in Best Landmarks in the World
Trevi Fountain, Rome
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome
- It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world
#28 in Best Landmarks in the World
Burano, Venice
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Island in the Venetian Lagoon, known for its lace work and brightly colored homes
Alta Via 1 Dolomites: Pian de Fontana Hut - La Muda (Variant Stage XI), Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Trail in a national park, in the province of Belluno, Veneto, in northern Italy
- Established in 1988 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009
Sassi di Matera
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $
- Two districts of the Italian city of Matera, Basilicata, well-known for their ancient cave dwellings inhabited since the Paleolithic period
Hotel Pupetto, Positano
Best time to visit: May, Sept
Cost: $$$
- Hotel located in Positano, directly on the beach of Fornillo
Grand Canal, Venice
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Channel in Venice that forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city
Verona Arena
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra, built in 30 AD
- It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there
Roman Forum, Rome
Best time to visit: Jan-April, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome
- Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum
- For centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs