A photograph of Italy

Country guide

Places to visit in Italy — page 8

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

20,218 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. Burano Lace Museum Burano Lace Museum
    176 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
  2. Museo Bardini Museo Bardini
    177 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
  3. Museo d'Arte e Scienza Museo d'Arte e Scienza
    178 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
  4. Palazzo dell'Arte Bernocchi Palazzo dell'Arte Bernocchi
    179 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
  5. Palazzo Morando Palazzo Morando
    180 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
  6. Oppian Hill Oppian Hill
    181 1 hour

    Oppian Hill

    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.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Rome
  7. San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore
    182 30 min

    San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore

    San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore is a historic church complex in central Milan, originally constructed as part of a Benedictine convent. The building dates to the sixteenth century and occupies a significant place in Milanese religious architecture.

    • High
    • Place of worship
    • Milan
  8. Egyptian Museum of Milan Egyptian Museum of Milan
    183 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
  9. Museo Storico Navale Museo Storico Navale
    184 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
  10. Applied Arts Collection of Milan Applied Arts Collection of Milan
    185 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
  11. Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo Museo di Palazzo Mocenigo
    186 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
  12. museo di Roma in Trastevere museo di Roma in Trastevere
    187 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
  13. Villa Carducci di Legnaia Villa Carducci di Legnaia
    188 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
  14. Peggy Guggenheim Collection Peggy Guggenheim Collection
    189 1 hour

    Peggy Guggenheim Collection

    Collezione Peggy Guggenheim

    The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is a modern art museum on Venice's Grand Canal. Housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, an unfinished 18th-century palace, it was the former home of American heiress Peggy Guggenheim.

    • High
    • Art and culture venue
    • Venice
  15. Villa Torlonia Villa Torlonia
    190 1 hour

    Villa Torlonia

    Villa Torlonia is a historic villa and public park in Rome, Italy. Originally a noble residence, it became state property and now serves as a cultural site with museums and gardens.

    • High
    • Nature site
    • Rome
  16. Palazzo Barbarigo Palazzo Barbarigo
    191 45 min

    Palazzo Barbarigo

    Palazzo Barbarigo is a historic palace on Venice's Grand Canal, associated with the Barbarigo family and the city's patrician residential tradition. Its facade combines Venetian Gothic character with later Renaissance changes, showing how noble houses evolved over time.

    • High
    • Historic site
    • Venice
  17. Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco Pinacoteca del Castello Sforzesco
    192 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
  18. Arch of Peace Arch of Peace
    193 45 min

    Arch of Peace

    Arco della Pace

    The Arco della Pace is a neoclassical triumphal arch in Milan, standing at the edge of Parco Sempione near the historic centre.

    • High
    • Historic site
    • Milan
  19. Florence Charterhouse Florence Charterhouse
    194 45 min

    Florence Charterhouse

    Certosa del Galluzzo

    Florence Charterhouse, or Certosa del Galluzzo, is a Carthusian monastery on a hillside south of central Florence. Niccolò Acciaiuoli founded the complex in 1341.

    • High
    • Historic site
    • Florence
  20. Palazzo Bembo Palazzo Bembo
    195 45 min

    Palazzo Bembo

    Palazzo Bembo is a historic palace on Venice’s Grand Canal, near the Rialto Bridge. Its Venetian Gothic character, together with later Renaissance elements, makes it a strong example of the layered palazzo facades lining the city’s principal waterway.

    • High
    • Historic site
    • Venice
  21. Casa-museo Boschi Di Stefano Casa-museo Boschi Di Stefano
    196 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
  22. Galleria Rinaldo Carnielo, Florence Galleria Rinaldo Carnielo, Florence
    197 1 hr 30 min

    Galleria Rinaldo Carnielo, Florence

    Galleria Rinaldo Carnielo

    The Galleria Rinaldo Carnielo is a museum in Florence dedicated to the works of Rinaldo Carnielo, an Italian sculptor active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  23. Museo delle Civiltà Museo delle Civiltà
    198 1 hr 30 min

    Museo delle Civiltà

    Museo delle Civiltà is a museum complex in Rome’s EUR district devoted to cultures and civilizations from around the world. Its collections bring together ethnographic, anthropological, archaeological and artistic material formerly held by different institutions.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Rome
  24. Museum Bandini Museum Bandini
    199 1 hr 30 min

    Museum Bandini

    Museo Bandini

    Museum Bandini, also known as Museo Bandini, is a Florence museum included within the city's wider cultural landscape. Its local name is useful when reading Italian directions or referring to the museum in the city.

    • High
    • Museum
    • Florence
  25. Sant'Alessandro Sant'Alessandro
    200 1 hr 30 min

    Sant'Alessandro

    Basilica di Sant'Alessandro

    Sant'Alessandro is a basilica in Florence, Tuscany, and forms part of the city's long religious and architectural tradition. Its setting makes it a useful stop for travellers who want to see a quieter sacred landmark alongside Florence's better-known Renaissance monuments.

    • High
    • 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.