1473 Best Sights in Italy

Alessandro Farnese, a nephew of Pope Paul III, commissioned the 16th-century architect Vignola to lay out this archetypal Italian garden over the ruins of the Palace of Tiberius, on the northern side of the Palatine, with a spectacular view over the Forum. This was yet another example of the Renaissance renewing an ancient Roman tradition. To paraphrase the poet Martial, the statue-studded gardens of the Flavian Palace were such as to make even an Egyptian potentate turn green with envy.

Siena's botanical garden is a great place to relax and enjoy views onto the countryside below. Guided tours in English are available by reservation.

Located just below Cagliari's amphitheater, the city's Botanical Garden offers a welcome refuge from the summer's heat, and a shady spot for a pause from sightseeing. The 12-acre site is managed by Cagliari university and includes plants from all over the Mediterranean as well as Africa and further afield, plus herbariums, ponds, and a scattering of Roman remains, notably cisterns, tanks, and a well. As the only green space in the city center, it's ideal for kids to let off steam, and perfect for a picnic. Guided tours are also available (book ahead).

Founded in 1807 by Joseph Bonaparte and Prince Joachim Murat as an oasis from hectic Naples, this is one of the largest of all Italian botanical gardens, comprising some 30 acres. The 19th-century greenhouses and picturesque paths still provide a welcome refuge from the urban tumult, and there are important collections of shrub, cacti, and floral specimens from all over the world, as well as impressive groves of palm and citrus. A fascinating ethnobotanical museum shows how different cultures have utilized trees for everything from ropemaking to dye extraction. Next to the Orto Botanico, with a 1,200-foot facade dwarfing Piazza Carlo III, is one of the largest public buildings in Europe, the Albergo dei Poveri, built in the 18th and 19th centuries to house the city's destitute and homeless; it's now awaiting an ambitious restoration scheme.

More than just about any other town, Orvieto has grown from its own foundations. The Etruscans, the Romans, and those who followed dug into the tufa (the same soft volcanic rock from which catacombs were made) to create more than 1,000 separate cisterns, caves, passages, storage areas, and production areas for wine and olive oil. Much of the tufa removed was used as building blocks for the city that exists today, and some was partly ground into pozzolana, which was made into mortar. You can see the labyrinth of dugout chambers beneath the city on the Orvieto Underground tour, which runs daily at 11, 12:15, 4, and 5:15 (reservations recommended), departing from Piazza del Duomo 23.

Founded in the 13th century, this still-functioning hospital has a facade with a superb early-16th-century exterior terra-cotta frieze. It was begun by Giovanni della Robbia (1469–1529) and completed by the workshop of Santi and Benedetto Buglioni between 1526 and 1528. Don't miss the 17th-century graffiti on the columns outside.

Folco Portinari, the father of Dante's Beatrice, founded this sprawling complex in 1288. It was originally a hostel for pilgrims and other travelers. During the Black Death of 1348, it served as a hospice. At another point, it served as an office where money could be exchanged and deposited and letters could be received; Michelangelo did his banking here. It had been lavishly decorated by the top Florentine artists of the day, but most of the works, such as the frescoes by Domenico Veneziano and Piero della Francesca, have disappeared or been moved to the Uffizi for safekeeping.

Today, it functions as a hospital in the modern sense of the word, but you can visit the single-nave church of Sant'Egidio, in the middle of the complex, where the frescoes would have stood. Imagine, too, Hugo van der Goes's (1435–82) magnificent Portinari Altarpiece, which once crowned the high altar; it's now in the Uffizi. Commissioned by Tommaso Portinari, a descendent of Folco's, it arrived from Bruges in 1483 and created quite a stir. Bernardo Rossellino's immense marble tabernacle (1450), still in the church, is worth a look.

Known as the Città Bianca for its dazzling white buildings and cobbled streets, Ostuni commands stupendous views out over the coast and the surrounding plain. Its unpolluted sea and clean beaches have earned it international Blue Flag recognition since 1994. The surrounding countryside contains a number of interesting 17th- and 18th-century masserie, many of which have been converted into agriturismi.

No town would have been complete without its sports facilities, and Herculaneum was no exception. Just opposite the thermopolium, on Cardo V, is the entrance to the large Palaestra, where a variety of sports took place. Only a few of the peristyle columns here have been excavated, a reminder of how much of the ancient town remains buried under solidified volcanic mud.

During Napoléon's famous exile on Elba in 1814–15, he built this residence out of two windmills. It still contains furniture from the period and Napoléon's impressive library, with the more than 2,000 volumes that he brought here from France.

For centuries, the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo was the summer retreat of popes, who kept the papal villa and extensive grounds completely private. Luckily for tourists, Pope Francis decided that he was too busy to use it and had it opened to the public. Inside you can view the Gallery of Pontifical Portraits, ceremonial garments, and the imposing papal throne in the Sala degli Svizzeri. The private area of the palace with the pope's bedchamber, his library, study, and offices are also open to visitors.

Palladio executed this beautiful city palace for the Vicentine noble Montano Barbarano between 1570 and 1575. The noble patron, however, did not make things easy for Palladio; the architect had to incorporate at least two preexisting medieval houses, with irregularly shaped rooms, into his classical, harmonious plan. It also had to support the great hall of the piano nobile (moving floor) above the fragile walls of the original medieval structure. The wondrous palazzo is one of Palladio's most harmonious constructions; the viewer has little indication that this is actually a transformation of a medieval structure. The palazzo also contains a museum dedicated to Palladio and is the seat of a center for Palladian studies.

If the other palazzoli in Scicli simply hint at the luxury of the town's golden age, then this is a full-on assault on the senses. The exterior is covered by stone-carved statues, including representations of mythical creatures and enslaved people that serve as an essential reminder of the town's role in the region's slave trade. The private residence's saloni cannot be visited, but there's an interesting contemporary art gallery and small printworks at the street-level Bassi Beneventano ( www.lomagnoartecontemporanea.it).

It's difficult to miss the splendid white facade of this town palace and museum as you walk down Via Garibaldi (also known as Strada Nuova), one of Genoa's most important streets. The building houses a fine collection of 16th- and 17th-century art, with the Spanish and Flemish schools well represented. There's also a textiles collection.

You might even have a prince show you around this private palace, which is still inhabited by descendants of the original Biscari family. While only a few of the 600 or so rooms are open to the public, the handful are well worth a visit. Foremost is the highly decorated and frescoed ballroom---a prime example of Sicilian Rococo style, which is overlooked by an oval minstrels' gallery and lit by Venetian chandeliers. Leading on from here is a unique staircase, which seems to float on waves, a rosewood-paneled dining room, and a marble bath used to cool the place down, rather than for bathing. Note that the palace offers tours only for a short period from 10 to 1.

First designed by Giovanni Antonio De' Rossi for the Marquis of Aste in the 17th century, this Renaissance palace is better known as the home of Letizia Bonaparte, who purchased the elegant building in 1818. Napoleon's mother, who lived here until her death in 1836, was fond of sitting on the curious covered green balcony that wraps around a corner of the first floor. The stately home overlooks the Vittoriano and Palazzo Venezia, as well as the nonstop motion of Rome's busiest piazza. Palazzo Bonaparte is open for temporary exhibits and has hosted the works of blockbuster artists like Vincent Van Gogh and M. C. Escher, among others.

If you want to see how the high society of Scicli once lived, then this is the place. Belying the plain yet grand exterior, the interiors overspill with opulence that may not be to today's tastes: think ornate antique furniture, silk wallpapers, and frescoes galore. Apart from the marbled staircase bathed in blue and yellow light from its gorgeously grated windows, the highlight is the terrace overlooking the immaculate gardens. Over the road you can visit historic pharmacy Farmacia Cartia (1902) with original wooden cabinets, apothecary jars, bottled potions, scales, and cash register.

The best way to experience Gangi is by walking through its historical center and evocative ancient streets. Walk along the Corso Umberto I and Via G.F. Vitale until you get to this late-18th-century palace constructed by the Bongiorno family, the barons of Cacchiamo. The three-story court is filled with decorative frescoes, various artworks, and royally sumptuous details.

Half of this building is the Baroque triumph of Guarino Guarini, the priest and architect who designed many of Turin's most noteworthy buildings. Built between 1679 and 1685, his redbrick palace later played an important role in the creation of the modern-day nation. Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy (1820–78), the first king of a united Italy, was born here, and, after a 19th-century neoclassical extension, Italy's first parliament met here between 1860 and 1865. The palace now houses the Museo del Risorgimento, a museum honoring the 19th-century movement for Italian unity.

Built by the Casali family, who lived here until 1409, this palace is home to the Accademia Etrusca, with an extensive library, La Biblioteca Comunale, and the Museo dell'Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona (aka MAEC). An eclectic mix of Egyptian objects, Etruscan and Roman bronzes and statuettes, and paintings is on display in the museum. Perhaps the most famous piece is the Tabula Cortonensis, an Etruscan contract written on bronze that was found in 1922 and dates from the second century BC. Look for work by Renaissance artists such as Luca Signorelli and Pinturcchio (circa 1454–1513). From May through September, guided tours are available in English with prior arrangement.

Near the Collegiata stands this splendid town palace, named after the family to whom the Medici bestowed San Quirico in 1667. Small art exhibitions are occasionally displayed in the palace courtyard, and the tourist office is here. The rest of the building is closed to the public.

Emilio and Maria Jesi were among the great Italian art collectors of the 20th century. Some of their treasured works from Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani are part of the permanent collection in this four-level museum, which opened at the end of 2024, and merges a modern building by Mario Cucinella (who also designed the Fondazione Luigi Rovati museum in Porta Venezia), with an 18th-century palazzo that was once the Jesi family home. Highlights from the permanent galleries on the first floor also include works by Umberto Boccioni and Georges Braque and paintings from the Pinacoteca di Brera (Brera Art Gallery). Temporary exhibitions on the second and ground floors have focused on contemporary art and the history of the Brera neighborhood.

When Bologna was an independent city-state, this huge palace dating from the 13th to 15th century was the seat of government—a function it still serves today in a building that is a mélange of styles. Over the door is a statue of Bologna-born Pope Gregory XIII (reigned 1572–85), most famous for reorganizing the calendar. The Collezioni Comunali d'Arte museum exhibits medieval paintings as well as some Renaissance works by Luca Signorelli (circa 1445–1523) and Tintoretto (1518–94). You can also explore two panoramic terraces of the Torre dell’Orologio, its clock mechanism and the grand Sala Farnese. The cavernous, light-filled iron-roofed Sala Borsa (1884) now houses the wonderful civic library Salaborsa Biblioteca Multimediale.

Montepulciano's town hall dates from the late 13th century, though it was restructured in the 14th century and again in the mid-15th century. Michelozzo oversaw this last phase, using the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence as his inspiration. From the tower, a commanding view of Siena, Mt. Amiata (the highest point in Tuscany) and Lake Trasimeno (the largest lake on the Italian peninsula) can be enjoyed on a clear day.

Easy to miss despite its vicinity to Piazza San Marco, this Renaissance-Gothic palace is accessible only through a narrow backstreet that connects Campo Manin with Calle dei Fuseri. Built around 1500 for the renowned Contarini family, its striking six-floor spiral staircase, the Scala Contarini del Bovolo (bovolo means "snail" in Venetian dialect), is the most interesting aspect of the palazzo. You can start the climb up the 133 stairs every half hour between 9:30 am and 5:30 pm from late October to late February and 10 am to 6 pm from late February to late October (online booking recommended). Though there's not much to see inside the palazzo itself, except for a limited art collection including one work by Tintoretto, the views of Venice from the top of the staircase are worth a look.

Just off the southeast corner of Piazza Tasso, this palazzo was built in the 14th century in Catalan style but transformed into a Rococo-era showstopper, thanks to its exquisite Esedra Maiolicata (Majolica Courtyard, 1772). This was one of the many examples of majolica and faienceware created in this region, a highlight of Campanian craftsmen. (The most notable example is the Chiostro delle Clarisse at Naples's Santa Chiara.) In 1610 the palazzo became the Ritiro di Santa Maria della Pietà and today remains private, but you can view the courtyard beyond the vestryway. Its back wall—a trompe l'oeil architectural fantasia—is entirely rendered in majolica tile. As you leave the palazzo, note the unusual arched windows on the palace facade, a grace note also seen a few doors away at Palazzo Veniero (No. 14), a 13th-century structure with a Byzantine-Arab influence.

A brooding example of Baroque style, the palace (once home to Queen Christina of Sweden) is across the road from the Villa Farnesina and houses part of the 16th- and 17th-century sections of the collection of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica. Among the star paintings in this manageably sized collection are Rubens's St. Sebastian Healed by Angels and Caravaggio's St. John the Baptist. Stop in if only to climb the 17th-century stone staircase, itself a drama of architectural shadows and sculptural voids. Behind, but separate from, the palazzo is the University of Rome's Orto Botanico, home to 3,500 species of plants, with various greenhouses around a stairway/fountain with 11 jets.

Many of Taormina's 14th- and 15th-century palaces have been carefully preserved. Especially beautiful is the crenellated Palazzo Corvaja, with characteristic black-lava and white-limestone inlays and the seat of the first Sicilian parliament in 1411. The interior is presently closed.

The easily distinguishable and now abandoned Palazzo d'Avalos—sometimes called Palazzo Reale or Il Castello—was the 17th-century residence of Innico d'Avalos, cardinal and mayor of Procida. The building was then used as a prison from the 1830s until 1988. Guided tours can be booked through the comune.

The prestigious Davizzi family owned this 14th-century palace in one of Florence's swankiest medieval neighborhoods (it was sold to the Davanzati in the 15th century). The place is a delight, as you can wander through the surprisingly light-filled courtyard and climb the steep stairs to the piano nobile (there's also an elevator), where the family did most of its living. The beautiful Sala dei Pappagalli (Parrot Room) is adorned with trompe-l'oeil tapestries and gaily painted birds.