95 Best Sights in Italy

The ancient Roman city of Tridentum lies beneath much of Trento's city center. Centuries of Adige River flooding buried ruins that only recently have been unearthed on public and private land. Beneath this piazza lies the largest of the archaeological sites, which reveals some marvels of Roman technology, such as underfloor heating and subterranean sewers complete with manhole covers. The Romans also used lead pipes for four centuries before recognizing it was hazardous to health.

The celebrated "Sacred Way," paved with local volcanic rock, runs through the Roman Forum, lined with temples and shrines. It was also the traditional route of religious and triumphal processions. Pick your way across the paving stones, some rutted with the ironclad wheels of Roman wagons, to walk in the footsteps of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

One of the best excursions from Anacapri is to the ruins of the Roman Villa di Damecuta. Sited strategically on a ridge with views sweeping across the Bay of Naples toward Procida and Ischia, the villa would have had its main access point at the landing stage right by the Grotta Azzurra at Gradola. This was probably one of the villas mentioned by Tacitus in his Annals as having been built by Tiberius: "Here on Capreae, in twelve spacious, separately named villas, Tiberius settled." Like Villa Jovis to the east, Villa di Damecuta was extensively plundered over the centuries prior to its proper excavation in 1937. Below the medieval tower (Torre Damecuta), there are two rooms (domus and cubiculum) that are thought to have been Tiberius's secret summer refuge. Affinities with Villa Jovis may be seen in the ambulatio (walkway) complete with seats and a stunning backdrop. To reach Villa Damecuta, get the bus from Anacapri to Grotta Azzurra and ask the driver to let you off at the proper stop. Alternatively, you can walk down from the center of Anacapri—from behind the Santa Sofia church take the well-marked network of virtually traffic-free little alleyways running parallel to the main road (about 30 minutes).

Even in ruins, this villa conveys a real sense of ancient Rome's opulence, as do the archaeological finds in its small on-site museum. Indeed, Emperor Commodus—the villain in the 2000 film epic Gladiator—coveted this once-splendid villa so much that he accused its owners, the Quintili family, of plotting against him, had them executed, and then moved in. He may have used the exedra as a space in which to train for the ostrich fights that were held in the Colosseum. The villa is 5 km (3 miles) from the catacombs and is accessible from both the modern Appia Nuova and from the Appia Antica (by bicycle or on foot only).

The chief point of interest in Sant'Antioco island's eponymous main town is the Archaeological Zone at the top of the old section, which has terrific views of the Sardinian mainland. Here you can see a tophet—a Punic sanctuary, necropolis, and burial site—which is scattered with urns that contained the cremated remains of stillborn children. Below the site is Sant'Antioco's excellent archaeological museum that showcases artifacts from the tophet as well as from the Neolithic, Byzantine, and Roman eras. You can also visit a nearby ethnographic collection and a Piedmontese fort. Various combined tickets are available.