A photograph of Italy

Country guide

1 to 2 hours in Italy — page 7

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. Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce
    151 1 hr 30 min

    Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce

    Museo dell' Opera di Santa Croce

    The Museo dell'Opera di Santa Croce is a museum complex integrated with the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. It occupies former monastic spaces including the refectory and other areas adjacent to the famous Franciscan church.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  2. Batteria Pisani Batteria Pisani
    152 1 hr 30 min

    Batteria Pisani

    Batteria Vettor Pisani

    Batteria Pisani, also known as Batteria Vettor Pisani, is a military heritage site connected with Venice’s lagoon defenses. Its name links the place with the Venetian admiral Vettor Pisani and the city’s maritime history.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Venice
  3. Museo Andrich
    153 1 hr 30 min

    Museo Andrich

    Museo Casa Andrich

    Museo Andrich, also known as Museo Casa Andrich, is a small house museum in Venice. Its identity is tied to an intimate domestic setting rather than the scale of the city’s major public museums.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Venice
  4. Museo Mondo Milan Museo Mondo Milan
    154 1 hr 30 min

    Museo Mondo Milan

    Museo Mondo Milan is a museum dedicated to the history and culture of AC Milan, one of Italy's most storied football clubs.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Milan
  5. MAPP Museo d'Arte Paolo Pini
    155 1 hr 30 min

    MAPP Museo d'Arte Paolo Pini

    Museo d'arte Paolo Pini

    MAPP Museo d'Arte Paolo Pini is a Milan museum dedicated to art and identified locally as Museo d'arte Paolo Pini. It broadens the city's cultural landscape beyond internationally famous museums and landmark collections.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Milan
  6. Salvatore Romano Foundation Salvatore Romano Foundation
    156 1 hr 30 min

    Salvatore Romano Foundation

    Fondazione Salvatore Romano

    The Salvatore Romano Foundation is a Florence museum devoted to the art collection assembled by Salvatore Romano. It offers a smaller-scale experience within the city’s exceptionally rich museum landscape.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence
  7. Ponte Sisto Ponte Sisto
    157 2 hours

    Ponte Sisto

    Ponte Sisto is a pedestrian bridge spanning the Tiber River in Rome's historic centre, connecting the Trastevere neighbourhood to the Campo de' Fiori area on the east bank.

    • Notable
    • Activity
    • Rome
  8. Fondazione Achille Castiglioni Fondazione Achille Castiglioni
    158 1 hr 30 min

    Fondazione Achille Castiglioni

    Studio Museo Achille Castiglioni

    Fondazione Achille Castiglioni is a studio-museum dedicated to the influential Italian industrial designer Achille Castiglioni, located in Milan.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Milan
  9. museo della Misericordia museo della Misericordia
    159 1 hr 30 min

    museo della Misericordia

    Museo della Misericordia

    The Museo della Misericordia is a museum in Florence dedicated to the history of the Venerabile Arciconfraternita della Misericordia, one of the oldest charitable institutions in the city.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence
  10. Museo Zambon Museo Zambon
    160 1 hr 30 min

    Museo Zambon

    Zambon

    Museo Zambon is a museum in Milan, identified by the local name Zambon. It belongs to the city’s broad cultural landscape and offers travelers another named destination to consider beyond Milan’s most famous museums.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Milan
  11. Villa Le Balze - Gardens Villa Le Balze - Gardens
    161 1 hr 30 min

    Villa Le Balze - Gardens

    Giardini di Villa Le Balze A Fiesole

    Villa Le Balze is a historic villa and garden estate in Fiesole, on the hills above Florence. The name refers to the area’s cliffs and crags, fitting the property’s steep position above the Arno valley.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence
  12. Fontana del Tritone Fontana del Tritone
    162 2 hours

    Fontana del Tritone

    Fontana del Tritone is a Baroque fountain located in Piazza Barberini, central Rome. Designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and completed in 1643, it was commissioned by Pope Urban VIII Barberini.

    • Notable
    • Activity
    • Rome
  13. Palazzo Spada Palazzo Spada
    163 2 hours

    Palazzo Spada

    Palazzo Spada is a historic palace in Rome’s Regola district, close to Campo de’ Fiori and Piazza Farnese. The building contains the Galleria Spada, a compact art museum formed from the collection of Cardinal Bernardino Spada and his family.

    • Notable
    • Activity
    • Rome
  14. Auditorium Parco della Musica
    164 2 hours

    Auditorium Parco della Musica

    Auditorium Parco della Musica is a major cultural complex in Rome designed by architect Renzo Piano and opened in 2002. Its identity comes from live music, contemporary architecture and several performance spaces gathered around a central piazza.

    • Notable
    • Activity
    • Rome
  15. Boboli Gardens Boboli Gardens
    165 2 hours

    Boboli Gardens

    Giardino di Boboli

    The Boboli Gardens climb the hillside directly behind Pitti Palace and run south along the line of the old city walls as far as Porta Romana.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
    • Florence
  16. Castel Sant'Angelo Castel Sant'Angelo
    166 2 hours

    Castel Sant'Angelo

    Castel Sant’Angelo

    Castel Sant'Angelo is a single drum of brick and travertine on the right bank of the Tiber, and it has been four different buildings without ever being rebuilt.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
    • Rome
  17. Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini
    167 1 hr 30 min

    Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini

    The Roman Houses at Palazzo Valentini are archaeological remains of ancient Roman domus discovered beneath a Renaissance palace near Piazza Venezia in central Rome.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Rome
  18. Fondazione Prada Fondazione Prada
    168 1 hr 30 min

    Fondazione Prada

    Fondazione Prada’s Venice venue occupies Ca’ Corner della Regina in the Santa Croce district, overlooking the Grand Canal. The operator dates the present palace to 1723–1728 and identifies Domenico Rossi as its architect for the Corner family of San Cassiano.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Venice
  19. Fonderia Barigozzi Fonderia Barigozzi
    169 1 hr 30 min

    Fonderia Barigozzi

    Fonderia Napoleonica Eugenia

    Fonderia Barigozzi, also known locally as Fonderia Napoleonica Eugenia, is a historic foundry site in Milan. It offers a glimpse into the city’s industrial past, when skilled metalworkers and manufacturing businesses formed an important part of Milan’s urban life.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Milan
  20. Giardini della Biennale Giardini della Biennale
    170 1 hr 30 min

    Giardini della Biennale

    Giardini della Biennale is a historic park complex in the Castello district of Venice, Italy.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Venice
  21. Hospital of Innocents Hospital of Innocents
    171 1 hr 30 min

    Hospital of Innocents

    Spedale degli Innocenti

    The Hospital of Innocents, or Spedale degli Innocenti, stands as one of Florence's most significant Renaissance buildings. Designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, it opened in 1445 as Europe's first dedicated orphanage.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence
  22. Museo della Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio Museo della Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio
    172 1 hr 30 min

    Museo della Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio

    The Museo della Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio is a museum located within the historic Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio complex in Milan. The basilica itself is one of the city's most ancient and significant churches, founded by Saint Ambrose in the fourth century.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Milan
  23. Museo de' Medici Museo de' Medici
    173 1 hr 30 min

    Museo de' Medici

    Museo de’ Medici explores the family whose political power, banking wealth, and artistic patronage shaped Florence and Tuscany.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence
  24. Museum of San Marco Museum of San Marco
    174 1 hr 30 min

    Museum of San Marco

    Museo di San Marco

    The Museum of San Marco occupies a former Dominican convent in central Florence, Italy. The complex holds significant importance for its architectural history and its association with prominent figures of the Italian Renaissance.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence
  25. Palazzo Strozzi Palazzo Strozzi
    175 1 hr 30 min

    Palazzo Strozzi

    Palazzo Strozzi is a Renaissance palace in central Florence, Italy. Built for the Strozzi family beginning in 1489, it represents one of the finest examples of secular Renaissance architecture in the city.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Florence

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.