1473 Best Sights in Italy

In the 16th century, wealthy resident Nicolò Grimaldi had a palace built of pink stone quarried in the region, and today it has been reincarnated as Genoa's Palazzo Municipale (Municipal Building). Most of the goings-on inside are the stuff of local politics and weddings, but you can visit the richly decorated Sale Paganiniane (Paganini rooms), where the famous Guarnerius violin belonging to Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840) is typically displayed, and the gardens that connect the palace with the neighboring Palazzo Bianco. There is also a collection of five centuries worth of coins, as well as ceramics that were used in homes and pharmacies.

Begun in 1299 and built as a meeting place for the guildsmen governing the city at the time, Florence's forbidding, fortress-like city hall was presumably designed by Arnolfo di Cambio. Although its massive bulk and towering campanile dominate Piazza della Signoria, its interior courtyard is a good deal less severe, having been remodeled by Michelozzo (1396–1472) in 1453. A copy of Verrocchio's bronze puttino (cherub), topping the central fountain, also softens the space. (The original is upstairs.)

The main attraction is on the second floor: two adjoining rooms that supply one of the most startling contrasts in Florence. The first is the opulently vast Sala dei Cinquecento (Room of the Five Hundred), named for the 500-member Great Council, the people's assembly established after the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent, that met here. Giorgio Vasari and others decorated the room, around 1563–65, with gargantuan frescoes celebrating Florentine history; depictions of battles with nearby cities predominate. Continuing the martial theme is Michelangelo's Victory, intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II (1443–1513), plus other sculptures of decidedly lesser quality.

In comparison, the little Studiolo, just off the Sala dei Cinquecento's entrance, was a private room meant for the duke and those whom he invited in. Here's where the melancholy Francesco I (1541–87), son of Cosimo I, stored his priceless treasures and conducted scientific experiments. Designed by Vasari, it was decorated by him, Giambologna, and many others. Note, too, that spectacular 360-degree views may be had from the battlements (only 77 steps) and the tower (223 more).

Rome's first great Renaissance palace, the centerpiece of an eponymous piazza, was originally built for Venetian cardinal Pietro Barbo (who eventually became Pope Paul II), but it was repurposed in the 20th century by Mussolini, who harangued crowds with speeches from the balcony over its finely carved door. Lights were left on through the night during his reign to suggest that the fascist leader worked without pause.

The palace is now open to the public, and highlights include frescoes by Giorgio Vasari, an Algardi sculpture of Pope Innocent X, and decorative art exhibits. The loggia has a pleasant view over the tranquil garden courtyard, which seems a million miles away from the chaos of Piazza Venezia on the other side of the building. The ticket price includes an audio guide.

This amusing palazzo was designed in 1591 by noted painter Federico Zuccari (1540–1609), who frescoed the first floor of his custom-built home. Typical of the outré Mannerist style of the period, the two windows and the main door are designed to look like monsters with mouths gaping wide. Zuccari—whose frescoes adorn many Roman churches, including Trinità dei Monti just up the block—sank all his money into his new home, dying in debt before his curious memorial, as it turned out, was completed.

Today, it is home to the German state-run Bibliotheca Hertziana, a prestigious fine-arts library. Access is reserved for scholars, but the pristine facade can be admired for free. Leading up to the quaint Piazza della Trinità del Monti, the nearby Via Gregoriana is quite charming and has long been one of Rome's most elegant addresses, home to such residents as 19th-century French painter Ingres; Valentino also had his first couture salon here.

Donnafugata, the country seat of the Salina family in Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel The Leopard, is a fictional place, but it's a fusion of Santa Margherita del Belice (where the Tomasi di Lampedusa palace was destroyed by a 1968 earthquake) and the Chiesa Madre and Benedictine Convent in Palma di Montecchiaro. The town was founded in the 17th century by Tomasi di Lampedusa’s ancestors, when Spain, who ruled Sicily, needed the island to be its primary source of wheat. As rural Sicily was beset with banditry, and considered far too dangerous for individual families to live in isolated farmhouses, the Crown encouraged landowners to found new towns, where peasants could live in relative safety, heading out to the fields each day and returning at night, to live cheek to cheek with their animals in one-story houses. These days, the city has lost its royal luster, but for fans of The Leopard, a visit to the convent to buy almond cookies from the remaining nuns at Monastero Del Ss. Rosario is an eerie experience, offering a brief glimpse of the hidden lives that have changed little in centuries. If you are lucky, you can take a guided tour of the monastery, but the tour times are inconsistent.

The only sand beach near Portofino is at Paraggi, a cove on the road between Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino. The bus will stop here on request. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free). Best for: swimming; walking.

Allow at least two hours to soak up the ambience of the ruins of Cumae, founded by Greek colonists late in the 8th century BC. Centuries later Virgil wrote his epic of the Aeneid, the story of the Trojan prince Aeneas's wanderings, partly to give Rome the historical legitimacy that Homer had given the Greeks. On his journey, Aeneas had to descend to the underworld to speak to his father, and to find his way in, he needed the guidance of the Cumaean Sibyl. Virgil did not dream up the Sibyl's Cave or the entrance to Hades—he must have actually stood both in her chamber and along the rim of Lake Avernus. When he described it in Book VI of the Aeneid as having "centum ostia" (a hundred mouths) and depicted the entrance to the underworld on Lake Avernus so vividly, "spelunca alta...tuta lacu nigro nemorum tenebris" (a deep cave...protected by a lake of black water and the glooming forest), it was because he was familiar with this bewitching landscape. Virgil also describes how Aeneas, arriving at Cumae, sought Apollo's throne—remains of the Temple of Apollo can still be seen—and "the deep hidden abode of the dread Sibyl / An enormous cave..."

Although Cumae never achieved the status of Delphi, it was the most important oracular center in Magna Graecia (Great Greece), and the Sibyl would have been consulted on a whole range of matters. Governments consulted the Sibyl before mounting campaigns. It was the Sibyl's prophecies that ensured the crowds here, prophecies written on palm leaves and later collected into the corpus of the Sibylline books.

Explore the fascinating Sibyl Chamber, a long trapezoidal corridor where light filters through shafts cut into the tufa rock. Steep steps climb above the cave and lead to the Sacred Road; before reaching the remains of Apollo’s temple that Virgil described as immanea templa (spacious temples), you can stop at the terrace overlooking the sea. From the temple of the God of the Sun, the via Sacra reaches the highest part of the acropolis, where the remains of the temple of Jupiter can be seen. This Greek temple was transformed by the Romans and then became a Christian basilica with a baptismal font still visible. Unlike in Greek and Roman times, when access to Cumae was through a network of underground passages, an aboveground EAV bus service leaves outside Fusaro station at regular intervals. (See  www.eavsrl.it for times.)

This adventure park is located inside the Parco delle Madonie and offers several activities, including archery and obstacle courses, through the forest and above the trees on rope ladders. There are different levels of varying difficulty, which are designed for children and adults alike. You can also rent a tree house or glamping accommodations to spend the night suspended 20 feet above the ground.

This eerie fantasy, originally known as the Village of Marvels, or the Sacred Wood, was created in 1552 by Prince Vicino Orsini, with the aid of the famous artist Pirro Ligorio. The surreal park is populated with weird and fantastic sculptures of mythical creatures intended to astonish illustrious guests. The works, carved in outcroppings of mossy stone in shady groves and woodland, include giant tortoises and griffins and an ogre's head with an enormous gaping mouth and a table with chairs set inside. Children love it, and there are photo ops galore. The park has a self-service caffè (open Sunday only, in winter) and a gift shop.

Sant'Agnello's two most famous estates sit side by side. In the early 19th century, the Jesuit Cocumella monastery was transformed into a hotel, welcoming the rich and famous. Next door is the Parco dei Principi, a hotel built by Gio Ponti in 1962 surrounded by a botanical park laid out in 1792 by the Count of Siracusa, a cousin to the Bourbons. Traversed by a diminutive Bridge of Love, this was a favorite spot for Désireé, Napoléon's first amour, who came here often. Shaded by horticultural rarities, this park leads to the count's Villa di Poggio Siracusa, a Rococo-style iced birthday cake of a house perched over the bay.

Green thumbs and other circumspect visitors can stroll through the romantic park, now part of the Hotel Parco dei Principi. It's notable for Ponti's alluring nautical design motifs and features, including a pool straight out of a David Hockey painting.

This pleasant riverside park is a great place to stroll, bike, or jog. Originally the grounds of a relatively simple hunting lodge, the park owes its present arrangement to Madama Maria Cristina of France, who received the land and lodge as a wedding present after her marriage to Vittorio Amedeo I of Savoy. The building, now home to the University of Turin's Faculty of Architecture, is not open to the public. However, you can visit the Orto Botanico di Torino (Botanical Garden of Turin) just north of the castle.

The house where Carlo Levi, the author of Christ Stopped at Eboli, lived in Aliano now contains two museums: the Museo Carlo Levi, which includes some of the paintings Levi did during his 1930s exile, and the Museo della Civiltà Contadina (Museum of Peasant Traditions), which documents peasant life of the past. Guided tours (call ahead for seasonal times and to reserve a place) include visits to both museums and discuss Levi's life under Fascism as well as the old farm implements.

If you have the time, visit the Aliano Cemetery to see Levi's tomb and/or hike the Calanchi Mountains along one of five trails.

Frustrated by Capri's ongoing commercial overdevelopment, Swedish professor Gunnar Adler-Karlsson acquired the land around the Belvedere di Migliara with the intention of maintaining an ecologically pure area. Covering 11,000 square meters (36,000 square feet), paths lead through rich Mediterranean maquis with more than 60 ceramic panels lining the way with quotes from great thinkers from Aristotle to Einstein. Allegedly the first of its kind in the world, just feet away from one of the most gorgeous views in the world, this park is devoted to peace and reflection. A complete guide, called "Meditation Upon Western Wisdom," is available from the adjacent Da Gelsomino restaurant.

The well-kept nature preserve at Monti dell'Uccellina is an oasis of green hills sloping down to small, secluded beaches on protected coastline. The park also has scattered Etruscan and Roman ruins and a medieval abbey, the Abbazia di San Rabano. Daily limits restrict the number of cars that can enter, so in summer it's best to either reserve ahead or to leave your car in Alberese and use the regular bus service. Contact the park's information office for bookings and to secure English-language guides. Enter from the south at Talamone (turn right 1 km [½ mile] before town) or from Alberese, both reachable from the SS1 (Via Aurelia). 

The Parco Regionale delle Alpi Apuane (Regional Park of the Apuan Alps) straddles the hills of coastal Versilia and spreads mostly across the mountainous Garfagnana inland. It includes caves, grottoes, peaks, and valleys. Hiking, riding, and mountain bike trails crisscross the park. There are various points of access for various types of excursions, and all are clearly indicated on the interactive park map. The park's visitor center is in the town of Castelnuovo Garfagnana.

Italy's largest national park straddles Calabria and Basilicata, rises to over 7,000 feet at Serra Dolcedorme, and offers many opportunities for outdoors enthusiasts. Its ancient wooded valleys are home to Europe's oldest tree, a 1,230-year-old Heldreich’s pine. There are five summits all over 6,562 feet, the highest point being Serra Dolcedorme at 7,438 feet above sea level, the highest point of the Southern Apennines. It's the only peak from where it's possible to see three seas: the Ionian, the Tyrrhenian, and the Adriatic. Hiking trails dot the landscape with excursions for most abilities—and there are popular picnicking viewpoints, often near rifugi (rustic hostels that tend to offer food).

The Alps' (and Italy's) biggest national park is spread over 1,350 square km (520 square miles) and four provinces. Opened in 1935 to preserve flora and protect fauna, today it has more than 1,200 types of plants, 600 different mushrooms, and more than 160 species of animals, including the chamois, ibex, and roe deer. There are many entrances to the park and five visitor centers.  Bormio makes a good base for exploring—the closest entrance to town is the year-round gateway at Torre Alberti.

As you wander around the palms and semitropical shrubs, don't be surprised if you're followed by a peacock or even an ostrich: they're part of the zoological garden and are allowed to roam almost at will. From the top of the hill on which the villa stands you can see the gentle hills of the Lombardy shore of Lake Maggiore and, nearer and to the left, the jewel-like Isole Borromee. In addition to a bar and restaurant, the grounds also have picnic spots and there is a farm that's popular with children.

Umbrella-like Roman pines line the pathway of Savello Park, an enchanting public garden atop the Aventine Hill. The towering trees lead the way to a mesmerizing belvedere of the Tiber and the city rooftops, offering views spanning from the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuele II all the way to St. Peter’s. The park is named after the Savelli family who built a fortified palace on the spot in the late 13^th century, but it is better known simply as the Giardino degli Aranci, or the Orange Garden, thanks to the numerous citrus trees that were planted here in honor of St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican order who preached under an orange tree at the nearby cloister of Santa Sabina. The former fortress opened as a park in 1932, but there are still some traces of its more ancient past in the old walls opposite the church, where the outline of an old drawbridge is still visible.

Originally the gardens and parade grounds of the Castello Sforzesco, this open space was reorganized during the Napoleonic era, when the arena on its northeast side was constructed, and then turned into a park during the building boom at the end of the 19th century. It is still the lungs of the city's fashionable western neighborhoods, and the Aquarium still attracts Milan's schoolchildren. The park became a bit of a design showcase in 1933 with the construction of the Triennale.

An often overlooked sight in western Naples, this park—not to be confused with the Parco Virgiliano, at the western end of the Naples suburb of Posillipo—is named for the poet Virgil and is reputedly his burial site. The sign at the entrance indicates that not only (by legend) is Virgil's tomb here, but also the tomb-memorial of Giacomo Leopardi, the author of the evocative poem "L'infinito," who died during the 1837 cholera epidemic. As a safety precaution, victims of the disease were usually buried in mass graves, but the writer (and later politician) Antonio Ranieri, a close friend, arranged for this monument, which until 1939 was located elsewhere. From the Mergellina metro station, walk south to Salita della Grotta and turn right just before the church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta; the park's entrance is just before the road tunnel.

Perched 500 feet above the Bay of Naples, this large urban park is worth the trip for its stunning vistas that face the islet Nisida with the formerly industrial area of Bagnoli stretching out below. A raised central area has a sports field where the Naples American Football team often trains.

An 8-km (5-mile) botanical promenade dating from 1892 ends with a panoramic view of Bolzano. Recent updates include signposting for various species of plants and trees, as well as benches and picnic tables. You can choose to return to town along the same path, or you can walk along the River Fago and end up back in the center of Bolzano.

At 7,346 feet, Passo Pordoi is the highest surface-road pass in the Dolomites. It connects Arabba, in Val Cordevole (Province of Belluno), with Canazei, in Val di Fossa (Province of Trento). Views from the top include the Sassolungo and Sella group of mountains, and even the Marmolada Glacier. There are several hotels and a ski school located at the pass, as well as some souvenir shops, restaurants, and snack carts. While the hotels are not glamorous, some do offer half-board packages at reasonable rates. The road up to the pass from Canazei has a few scenic and picnic pull-offs, plus 28 hairpin turns.

Skiing is available year-round. The most popular winter skiing areas are Belvedere and Sella Ronda, and much of the area is part of the Dolomiti Superski package. Even if the road for the pass is closed, many of the cable cars in neighboring valley towns will be running to various summits.

From Passo Pordoi you can get a cable car (May through October) to the Sass Pordoi, often called the Terrazza delle Dolomiti (Terrace of the Dolomites). At more than 9,100 feet, it offers myriad hiking trails and vie ferrate with varying degrees of difficulty (none of which are easy), leading to rifugi and the region's other peaks and passes.

This secluded natural sea pool is located at the end of Milazzo's long, wild cape. A meandering rustic path will take you on a 20-minute walk down to the unique natural rock formations that create pools of variable depths. You're able to swim in them, but there are no changing rooms, toilets, or places to buy food or drinks so be sure to bring everything you need.

Starting at the town of Tracino, follow signs to the idyllic valley of Mueggen, where immaculate vineyards and an intricate network of drystone walls and terraces are scattered with pepper-pot dammusi, some exquisitely restored as holiday homes, others picturesquely crumbling. From here, a narrow, unpaved but drivable track leads down into the island’s most fertile valley, the Piana di Ghirlanda, before winding uphill and over into the next valley and the village of Rekale. Just beyond Rekale, a narrow paved road leads steeply uphill (marked Zighidi), then runs past the Byzantine tombs and along a spectacular ridge with views down to the sea and into the Valle di Monastero. Follow signs to Sibà, to discover what may be the island's most charming village, nestled among lush greenery on the lower slopes of the Montagna Grande, then continue to the town of Bugeber, perched high above the Lago di Venere (Lake of Venus), with its green-turquoise waters filling a spent volcanic crater. There are swimming spots from the lake's beaches, and smearing oneself with lake mud and then lying in the sun until dry is considered beneficial.

Located in the geographical heart of the Parco delle Madonie about a half-hour north of Petralia Sottana, the hamlet of Piano Battaglia makes a good day trip for anyone hoping to have a true mountain experience. This is where locals, and many Palermitani, come to enjoy the mountains, whether it's skiing in the winter or picnicking in the summer. The visitor center is a good place to find out about any number of summer and winter activities, including snow tubing, sleighing, skiing, mountain biking, and hiking excursions, and to have a snack at Café Fun Park.

The center of this piazza has a Baroque fountain, the Fontana di Diana, festooned with fainting sea nymphs and dancing jets of water. Look for the Chiaramonte-style Palazzo Montalto, an arched-window gem just off the piazza on Via Montalto.

A bustling marketplace in the morning (Monday through Saturday from 8 to 2) and a trendy meeting place the rest of the day and night, this piazza has plenty of down-to-earth charm. Just after lunchtime, all the fruit and vegetable vendors disappear, and this so-called piazza trasformista takes on another identity, becoming a circus of bars particularly favored by study-abroad students, tourists, and young expats. Brooding over the piazza is a hooded statue of the philosopher Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake here in 1600 for heresy, one of many victims of the Roman Inquisition.