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.
408 places match
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Typical visit duration
Interests
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.
Basilica di San Marco
The Basilica of St. Mark, or Basilica di San Marco, is a historic religious building in Florence. It is distinct from St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, although both are dedicated to the same patron saint.
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.
Altino
Altinum, also called Altino, is an ancient Roman settlement on the Venetian mainland near Venice. It was once a significant port city whose commercial and strategic importance connected it with Adriatic trade.
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.
Piazzale Michelangiolo
Piazzale Michelangelo is a panoramic square overlooking Florence from the south bank of the Arno River. It was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi in 1869 as part of Florence's brief period as capital of the Kingdom of Italy.
The Bocca della Verità is a large ancient marble mask set into the wall of the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome.
Palazzo dell'Ambrosiana
Palazzo dell'Ambrosiana is a historic palace in Milan, Italy, associated with the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, one of Europe's oldest and most significant cultural institutions.
The Crypta Balbi is a museum and archaeological complex in Rome, Italy. It stands on the site of the ancient Theatre of Balbus, built by Lucius Cornelius Balbus in 13 BCE.
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.
Fontana Dell'Acqua Paola
Fontana dell'Acqua Paola is a monumental Baroque fountain located on the Janiculum Hill in Rome. Commissioned by Pope Paul V and completed in the early seventeenth century, it was built to mark the restoration of the ancient Trajan aqueduct.
Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo is a historic Venetian palace in the San Marco district, distinguished by its external spiral staircase, the Scala Contarini del Bovolo.
Basilica di Santa Trinita
Basilica di Santa Trinita is a Roman Catholic church in central Florence, near the Arno River and Ponte Santa Trinita. The basilica belongs to the Vallumbrosan Order and combines an important religious function with Gothic architecture and major Florentine art.
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.
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.
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.
Fontana del Nettuno
The Fountain of Neptune is a monumental fountain located in the Piazza della Signoria, Florence's central civic square.
Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro
The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also known locally as Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, stands as an iconic monument of Rome's EUR district.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Palazzo Morando - Costume Moda Immagine
Palazzo Morando is a historic palace in Milan housing a costume and fashion museum.
Parco del Colle Oppio
Oppian Hill Park, or Parco del Colle Oppio, is a public green space on Rome’s historic Oppian Hill in the Monti district.
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.
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