A photograph of Italy

Country guide

Museums in Italy — page 3

Italy holds 62 World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, spread across 301,340 km2 of land that runs from the Alps down into the middle of the Mediterr...

Photograph · Timothy A. Gonsalves · CC BY-SA 4.0

20,204 Places
4Cities

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Italy holds 62 World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, spread across 301,340 km2 of land that runs from the Alps down into the middle of the Mediterranean. The distances between its cities are short and the differences between them are not: Venice has no roads, Naples sits under a volcano on a bay, Florence fits inside a walkable Renaissance grid, and Milan keeps its art indoors and works for a living. Rome is the capital and the obvious first trip; the argument is always about what comes second. Nearly 800 islands hang off the coast, and Sicily and Sardinia are each large enough to be a trip of their own.

Checked 2026-08-25

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
Italian
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+39
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C, F and L · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified nationwide visitor statement was recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Fondazione Querini Stampalia Fondazione Querini Stampalia
    51 1 hr 30 min

    Fondazione Querini Stampalia

    Fondazione Querini Stampalia is a cultural institution in Venice, Italy, combining a historic house museum, art gallery, library, and architectural garden. It occupies a palazzo in the Castello district, near Santa Maria Formosa.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Venice
  2. Museo provinciale di Torcello Museo provinciale di Torcello
    52 1 hr 30 min

    Museo provinciale di Torcello

    Museo di Torcello

    Museo provinciale di Torcello is the museum of Torcello, an island in the northern Venetian Lagoon.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Venice
  3. Pazzi Chapel Pazzi Chapel
    53 1 hr 30 min

    Pazzi Chapel

    Cappella de' Pazzi

    The Pazzi Chapel, locally known as Cappella de' Pazzi, stands as a significant Renaissance religious structure in Florence. Commissioned by the Pazzi family, prominent Florentine bankers, this chapel represents a key architectural work of the early Renaissance period.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Florence
  4. Palazzo Grassi Palazzo Grassi
    54 1 hr 30 min

    Palazzo Grassi

    Palazzo Grassi is an eighteenth-century palace on Venice’s Grand Canal. Built for the Grassi family, it now operates as a contemporary art museum and exhibition venue.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Venice
  5. Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa
    55 1 hr 30 min

    Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa

    Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa is a Renaissance palace in Venice's Castello district. The building belonged to the Grimani family, prominent Venetian patricians who later became cardinals and doges.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Venice
  6. Jewish Museum of Florence Jewish Museum of Florence
    56 1 hr 30 min

    Jewish Museum of Florence

    Museo Ebraico di Firenze

    The Jewish Museum of Florence, or Museo Ebraico di Firenze, presents the heritage of Florence’s Jewish community. It is associated with the Great Synagogue of Florence and places religious objects, history, and community life within the city’s cultural landscape.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  7. Museo di Roma Museo di Roma
    57 1 hr 30 min

    Museo di Roma

    The Museo di Roma is a museum dedicated to the history and culture of Rome. Located in the city center, it occupies a historic building that contributes to its significance as a cultural institution.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Rome
  8. Rondanini Pietà Rondanini Pietà
    58 1 hr 30 min

    Rondanini Pietà

    Museo Pietà Rondanini

    The Rondanini Pietà is a late unfinished marble sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in the Sforza Castle complex in Milan. The work depicts the Virgin Mary supporting the body of Christ after the Crucifixion.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  9. Centrale Montemartini Centrale Montemartini
    59 1 hr 30 min

    Centrale Montemartini

    Centrale Montemartini is a museum in Rome housed in a former thermoelectric power plant. The industrial building, with its preserved machinery and turbines, serves as an exhibition space for classical sculpture from the Capitoline Museums collection.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Rome
  10. Cloister of the Scalzo Cloister of the Scalzo
    60 1 hr 30 min

    Cloister of the Scalzo

    Chiostro dello Scalzo

    The Cloister of the Scalzo, or Chiostro dello Scalzo, is a Renaissance cloister in Florence known for Andrea del Sarto’s fresco cycle.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  11. Diocesan Museum of Milan Diocesan Museum of Milan
    61 1 hr 30 min

    Diocesan Museum of Milan

    Museo Diocesano di Milano

    The Diocesan Museum of Milan is an ecclesiastical museum operated by the Archdiocese of Milan. It occupies a historic site near the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio in the Portinari Chapel area.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  12. Botanical Garden of Florence Botanical Garden of Florence
    62 1 hr 30 min

    Botanical Garden of Florence

    Giardino dei Semplici

    The Botanical Garden of Florence, known as Giardino dei Semplici, is a historic garden operated by the University of Florence. Founded in the sixteenth century, it began as a place for cultivating medicinal plants, or semplici.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  13. Burano Lace Museum Burano Lace Museum
    63 45 min

    Burano Lace Museum

    Museo del Merletto di Burano

    The Lace Museum stands on Piazza Galuppi, the single square of Burano, in the historic palace of the Podestà of Torcello.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Venice
  14. Museo Bardini Museo Bardini
    64 1 hr 30 min

    Museo Bardini

    Museo Stefano Bardini

    Museo Bardini, locally known as Museo Stefano Bardini, is a museum in Florence housed in a historic building that once belonged to the antiquarian and collector Stefano Bardini.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  15. Museo d'Arte e Scienza Museo d'Arte e Scienza
    65 1 hr 30 min

    Museo d'Arte e Scienza

    Museo d'arte e scienza

    Museo d'Arte e Scienza is a Milan museum whose name brings together two ways of looking at the world: artistic expression and scientific understanding.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  16. Palazzo dell'Arte Bernocchi Palazzo dell'Arte Bernocchi
    66 1 hr 30 min

    Palazzo dell'Arte Bernocchi

    Triennale Design Museum

    Palazzo dell'Arte Bernocchi, locally known as Triennale Design Museum, stands as a significant cultural institution in Milan dedicated to Italian design excellence. Housed within a distinctive architectural setting, the museum occupies a prominent position in the city's cultural landscape.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  17. Palazzo Morando Palazzo Morando
    67 1 hr 30 min

    Palazzo Morando

    Palazzo Morando - Costume Moda Immagine

    Palazzo Morando is a historic palace in Milan housing a costume and fashion museum.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  18. Egyptian Museum of Milan Egyptian Museum of Milan
    68 1 hr 30 min

    Egyptian Museum of Milan

    Museo Egizio

    The Egyptian Museum of Milan, known locally as Museo Egizio, is a museum dedicated to Egyptian antiquities and archaeology. It adds an Egyptology-focused stop to Milan’s better-known art, design, and fashion itinerary.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  19. Museo Storico Navale Museo Storico Navale
    69 1 hr 30 min

    Museo Storico Navale

    Museo Storico Navale is Venice’s naval history museum in the Castello district, close to the Venetian Arsenal. The museum explores the maritime power that shaped Venice, from the era of the Venetian Republic to the modern Italian Navy.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Venice
  20. Applied Arts Collection of Milan Applied Arts Collection of Milan
    70 1 hr 30 min

    Applied Arts Collection of Milan

    Museo delle Arti Decorative

    The Applied Arts Collection of Milan, known locally as the Museo delle Arti Decorative, is a museum dedicated to decorative and applied arts within the city.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  21. Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo
    71 1 hr 30 min

    Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo

    Palazzo Mocenigo

    Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo is a museum in a historic Venetian palace beside the Grand Canal. It introduces visitors to the world of Venetian dress, textiles, fragrance and aristocratic domestic life.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Venice
  22. museo di Roma in Trastevere museo di Roma in Trastevere
    72 1 hr 30 min

    museo di Roma in Trastevere

    Museo di Roma in Trastevere

    Museo di Roma in Trastevere occupies a converted historic complex in one of Rome's most characterful quarters. The institution forms part of the broader network of civic museums documenting the capital's social and cultural evolution.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Rome
  23. Villa Carducci di Legnaia Villa Carducci di Legnaia
    73 1 hr 30 min

    Villa Carducci di Legnaia

    Villa Pandolfini Carducci

    Villa Carducci di Legnaia, also known as Villa Pandolfini Carducci, is a historic villa in Florence's Legnaia neighbourhood. It represents the country-house tradition of wealthy Florentine families and reflects the transition between the historic city and its former rural edges.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  24. Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco
    74 1 hr 30 min

    Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco

    Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco is the art gallery housed within Milan's historic Castello Sforzesco, a fifteenth-century fortress built by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  25. Casa-museo Boschi Di Stefano Casa-museo Boschi Di Stefano
    75 1 hr 30 min

    Casa-museo Boschi Di Stefano

    Casa-museo Boschi Di Stefano is a house museum in Milan preserving the former residence of collectors Antonio Boschi and Marieda Di Stefano. The couple amassed a significant collection of twentieth-century Italian art, which they donated to the city.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Italy be?

Ten to fourteen days can combine Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome by high-speed train. Give Venice more than a transfer night and Rome several separate sightseeing days; rural Tuscany needs different transport planning from the rail-linked cities.

What entry documents are needed for Italy?

Italy is in the Schengen Area, but visa and passport requirements vary by nationality and route. Use Italy's official visa portal to confirm the applicable rule before travel rather than relying on another Schengen trip.

What is the best way to travel around Italy?

High-speed trains connect Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome, with regional rail and coaches serving smaller places. Drivers must check ZTL restrictions before entering historic centres because access controls are local and can generate fines.

When is a practical time to visit Italy?

April to June and September to October broadly suit the north-to-Rome rail route. Lagoon conditions in Venice, summer heat in Rome, and seasonal rural services in Tuscany should be checked independently.

What money and payment basics apply in Italy?

Italy uses the euro (EUR). Carry a modest cash reserve for small purchases while using cards where accepted, and verify the euro amount at the terminal instead of accepting an unexamined conversion.

What practical safety details should I save for Italy?

Italy routes emergency calls through 112. Travellers encounter a 230 V supply and Type C, F, or L receptacles. No tap-water assessment is recorded for Italy; obtain current local advice at the destination.