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
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Museo Galileo - Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza
Museo Galileo occupies a historic position near the Arno River in Florence, housed in the Palazzo Castellani. The institution operates under its full designation Museo Galileo - Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza.
Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia is Rome’s principal museum devoted to Etruscan civilisation and art. It occupies a Renaissance villa built for Pope Julius III in the sixteenth century, where architecture, gardens and fountains form part of the experience.
Battistero di San Giovanni
The Baptistery of San Giovanni stands free in Piazza San Giovanni, directly in front of the cathedral facade, and it is the older of the two buildings by several centuries.
Museo Bagatti Valsecchi
The Bagatti Valsecchi Museum is a historic house museum in central Milan.
Ca' d'Oro is one of the great late Gothic palaces on the Grand Canal, and since 1927 it has been a state gallery rather than a house.
Cappella Brancacci
The Brancacci Chapel, known locally as Cappella Brancacci, is a chapel within the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence.
Piazza Navona is a long oval-ended square in the historic centre of Rome, and its shape is not a design decision of the Baroque period but the footprint of a Roman building.
Chiesa del Gesù
The Church of the Gesù, or Chiesa del Gesù, is the mother church of the Society of Jesus in Rome. The church is a major Baroque landmark and an architectural model for Jesuit churches around the world.
Catacombe di San Sebastiano
The Catacombs of San Sebastiano are an ancient underground cemetery complex beside the Appian Way. The site takes its name from Saint Sebastian, the Christian martyr traditionally associated with burial here.
Cimitero Monumentale
Cimitero Monumentale is Milan’s monumental cemetery and an open-air collection of sculpture, architecture and memorial art. Founded in 1866, it remains an active burial ground while welcoming visitors interested in Italian artistic heritage.
Museo di Storia Naturale
Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano is Milan’s natural history museum, commonly called Museo di Storia Naturale. It brings together zoology, botany, geology and paleontology in a historic museum setting near the city centre.
Basilica di San Lorenzo
The Basilica di San Lorenzo stands on its own square a short walk north-west of the Duomo, and the Opera Medicea Laurenziana, the body that runs it, describes it as the oldest cathedral in Florence: the first building raised for…
Santa Maria della Vittoria is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy. The church was begun in 1608 and completed in 1620.
Museo Horne is a museum in Florence, Italy, housed in a historic building. It is named after its founder, Herbert Percy Horne, an English art collector and historian who established the institution.
Ara Pacis Augustae
The Ara Pacis Augustae is an ancient Roman altar dedicated to Pax, the goddess of peace.
Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti
The Spanish Steps are the staircase that carries Piazza di Spagna up the slope of the Pincio hill to the church of Santissima Trinità dei Monti standing above it.
Mausoleo di Augusto
The Mausoleum of Augustus is a large circular tomb built as the final resting place of Emperor Augustus, the first Roman emperor.
Piazza di Spagna is a prominent public square in Rome's historic centre, named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See.
Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi
San Luigi dei Francesi is Rome’s national church of France, located between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona in the historic centre.
Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Santa Maria in Trastevere is a basilica dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the heart of Rome’s Trastevere district.
Villa Doria Pamphilj
Villa Doria Pamphili is a historic villa and extensive public park in Rome, Italy. It is among the largest landscaped public parks in the city, situated on the Gianicolo hill.
Palazzo Farnese is a monumental High Renaissance palace on Piazza Farnese in Rome’s historic centre. The Farnese family commissioned the building, and Antonio da Sangallo the Younger began its design before Michelangelo contributed important later elements.
Museo dell'Officina Profumo - Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Officina di Santa Maria Novella is a historic pharmacy and perfume workshop near Florence’s Santa Maria Novella church complex. Its story is connected with Dominican friars and traditional apothecary practice.
Padiglione d'Arte Contemporanea is a contemporary art exhibition space in Milan, Italy. Known locally by the same name, it serves as a venue for modern and contemporary artistic presentations.
Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari
The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is the Franciscan church of San Polo, and Venetians shorten its name to the Frari.
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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