Country guide
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
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
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Bert Kaufmann from Roermond, Netherlands · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph · Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph · Wikibusters · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
226 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Piazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome, Italy. Its name derives from the poplar trees that once grew in the area, though some sources associate it with the Latin word populus meaning people.
Pirelli HangarBicocca is a non-profit contemporary art foundation in a former locomotive-manufacturing plant in Milan's Bicocca district. The institution opened in 2004 and occupies approximately 15,000 square metres on one ground-level floor.
Basilica di San Pietro
St. Peter's Basilica, locally Basilica di San Pietro, stands as one of Rome's most prominent landmarks within Vatican City. This Renaissance church occupies a site of immense historical and religious significance in Christianity.
Piazza Venezia is a major central square in Rome, Italy, located at the foot of the Capitoline Hill.
Piazza della Rotonda is a public square in the historic centre of Rome, Italy. The square takes its name from the Pantheon, the ancient Roman temple with its distinctive circular dome, which dominates the piazza.
Piazza Farnese is a historic square in Rome's Regola district, taking its name from the imposing Palazzo Farnese that dominates its northern flank. The square developed during the Renaissance as an expression of papal power and architectural ambition.
Basilica di Santa Croce
Santa Croce is the Franciscan mother church of Florence and the largest Franciscan church in the world.
Piazza Mattei is a small square in Rome's historic Jewish Ghetto district, situated between Via della Reginella and Via dei Funari. The piazza takes its name from the Mattei family, a prominent Roman noble house.
Terme di Caracalla
The Baths of Caracalla, known locally as Terme di Caracalla, constitute one of Rome's most substantial surviving ancient bath complexes.
The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana is a historic library in Venice, Italy, located in the Piazzetta San Marco near the Doge's Palace. Founded in the 16th century, it houses one of Italy's most important collections of classical manuscripts and texts.
Palazzo Ducale
The Doge's Palace, known locally as Palazzo Ducale, stands as a defining landmark of Venice. This Gothic palace served as the residence of the Doge, the elected leader of the former Venetian Republic, and housed the republic's main governing bodies.
Teatro alla Scala
Teatro alla Scala is Milan's opera house, and the block it occupies on Piazza della Scala is two visitable things at once: a working theatre with a season that sells out, and a museum inside the same walls that anyone…
Ponte Milvio is an ancient Roman bridge spanning the Tiber River in northern Rome. The structure carries significant historical weight as the site of the pivotal Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312 CE, where Constantine defeated Maxentius.
Santa Maria delle Grazie is a Dominican convent church in central Milan, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site jointly with Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper housed within its refectory.
Cappella Sistina
The Sistine Chapel, known locally as Cappella Sistina, is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace within Vatican City. It serves as the site of the Papal conclave, where new popes are elected.
Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano
The Basilica of San Clemente is a layered historical church near the Colosseum in Rome. The present structure dates from the twelfth century, built over a fourth-century basilica, which itself covers Roman-era buildings including a mithraeum.
The Altare della Patria, formally known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, is a prominent national monument in central Rome.
Chiesa di Sant'Andrea al Quirinale
Sant'Andrea al Quirinale is a Jesuit church on Rome’s Quirinal Hill, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and completed in the late seventeenth century. Dedicated to Saint Andrew the Apostle, it is one of Bernini’s most accomplished religious buildings.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele Secondo
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a historic shopping arcade in central Milan, Italy. Named after the first king of unified Italy, it opened in 1877 and represents one of Europe's oldest covered shopping galleries.
Fontana di Trevi
The Trevi Fountain is the terminal display, the mostra, of the Acqua Vergine — the aqueduct brought into Rome in 19 BC and the only one of the ancient aqueducts that has run without interruption to the present day.
Ponte Sant'Angelo is a historic bridge spanning the Tiber River in Rome, connecting the city centre to the Castel Sant'Angelo.
The Domus Aurea, or Golden House, was the vast palace built by Emperor Nero after the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD.
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is a Baroque masterpiece designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and completed in 1651. It occupies the center of Piazza Navona, one of Rome's most celebrated public squares.
Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore
The Basilica of San Lorenzo, locally named Basilica di San Lorenzo Maggiore, stands as one of Milan's most ancient churches.
The Pantheon stands on Piazza della Rotonda in the middle of old Rome, and it is two things at once: a Roman temple and a working Catholic church.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
.jpg){kind=link}
