235 Best Sights in Italy

Two landmark medieval towers, mentioned by Dante in The Inferno, stand side by side in the compact Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. Once, every family of importance had a tower as a symbol of prestige and power (and as a potential fortress). Now only 24 remain out of nearly 100 that once presided over the city. Torre Garisenda (late 11th century), which tilts 4 degrees (Pisa's leans 3.9), was shortened to 157 feet in the 1300s. Torre degli Asinelli (1119) is 318 feet tall and leans 7½ feet; both towers and the piazza are currently closed to visitors while the tottering Torre Garisenda is being carefully monitored.

Most hotels on the Lido have access to charming beach clubs with cabanas, striped umbrellas, and chaise longues—all of which are often available for nonguests to use for a fee. On either end of the long barrier island, the public beaches offer a more rustic but still delightful setting for nature lovers to dig their toes in the sand. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets. Best for: swimming; walking.

Reggio's panoramic palm tree--lined promenade, with views across the Straits of Messina toward Sicily and Etna (on nice days), is named after the former mayor who helped the city's 1990s "Reggio Spring" rebirth. Join the joggers, teens, and families along the 1.6-km (1-mile) route taking in the sea air, handsome Stile Liberty architecture, and Arena dello Stretto, an open-air Greek-style theater, which hosts summer events, performances, and concerts.

This small square 300 yards up the hill from Via Toledo is a shrine to Napoli's all-time favorite soccer player, Diego Maradona. "The hand of God, the head of Maradona," quoth the famous Argentina-born superstar after scoring, with the aid of his hand, a much-disputed World Cup goal against England in 1986. This sentiment and its ability to mix the earthly and fallible with the divine is also peculiarly Neapolitan.

The south wall is dominated by a mural of the Argentine giant featuring his original Swarovski diamond earring. Painted by fan Mario Filardi in 1990, when Napoli won their second league title, it was refreshed in 2016 with the face subsequently retouched by Argentine street artist Francisco Bosoletti (whose mural Iside, inspired by Pudicizia del Corradini in the Cappella Sansevero, is on the west wall). When Maradona passed away in 2020, fans gathered in the square to pay their respects, and people still honor the footballing hero by leaving photos, scarves, and other items here. There's also a giant mural of Maradona in the eastern suburb of San Giovanni a Teduccio, painted by Neapolitan-Dutch artist Jorit in 2017.

Amalfi's main beach stretches along the front of town and is popular with both locals and visitors. During the summer months, the beach is covered with rows of brightly colored sun beds and umbrellas, each color indicating a different swimming establishment generally associated with the restaurant overlooking the beach. The water is clear, especially in the mornings, and the swimming is good. Both ends of the beach have free areas, which are popular with locals and families. The beach has large pebbles, so if you're planning a leisurely day, then renting a sun bed is recommended. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; toilets. Best for: swimming.

The open-air loggia, built in 1551, teems with souvenir stands, but the real attraction is a copy of Pietro Tacca's bronze Porcellino (which translates as "little pig" despite the fact the animal is, in fact, a wild boar). The sculpture is Florence's equivalent of the Trevi Fountain: put a coin in his mouth, and if it falls through the grate below (according to one interpretation), it means you'll return to Florence someday. What you're seeing is a copy of a copy: Tacca's original version, in the Museo Bardini, is actually a copy of an ancient Greek work.

The town's beach is a 2-km (1-mile) stretch of sand, unusually clean for its proximity to the city. You can choose between public areas or private lidos where you can rent sun loungers and a parasol and gain access to washing facilities with hot showers and changing rooms (expect to pay €15–€20 for an entire day, though afternoon rates may be reduced). The private beaches are also noticeably tidier and are patrolled by lifeguards. All the beaches get very busy on weekends but you should always be able to find space. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; showers; water sports. Best for:  swimming; walking.

Overlooking the town, atop Mt. Tappeinerweg, is Castel Fontana, which was the home of poet Ezra Pound from 1958 to 1964. Still in the Pound family, the castle now houses the Museo Agricolo di Brunnenburg, devoted to Tyrolean country life. Among its exhibits are a smithy and a room with Pound memorabilia.

Of the Etruscan, Egyptian, and Greco-Roman antiquities here, the Etruscan collection is particularly notable—one of the most important in Italy (the other being in Turin). The famous bronze Chimera was discovered without its tail, which is a 16th-century reconstruction by Cellini. If you're traveling with kids, they might particularly enjoy the small mummy collection. Those with a fondness for gardens should visit on Saturday morning, when the tiny but eminently pleasurable garden is open for tours. If you're going to the Uffizi, hang on to your ticket, as admission to this museum is free.

The 13th-century Palazzo Pretorio, on Piazza Garibaldi, is home to this fascinating museum with plenty of Etruscan artifacts. A number of displays reconstruct the nature of daily life for the Etruscans who once inhabited the hills in this area.

The Archaeological Museum in the Convento di San Bernardo, just outside the Anfiteatro Romano, exhibits a fine collection of Etruscan bronzes. The ticket allows admission to the Anfiteatro Romano.

A bomb blast during World War II exposed the remains of the immense Temple of Fortune that covered the entire hillside under present-day Palestrina. Large arches and terraces are now visible, and you can walk or take a local bus up to the imposing Palazzo Barberini, which crowns the highest point and was built in the 17th century along the semicircular lines of the original Roman temple.

The palace now contains the Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Palestrina, with items found on the site that date from throughout the classical period, including Etruscan bronzes, pottery, and terra-cotta statuary as well as Roman artifacts. In addition, a model of the temple as it was in ancient times helps you appreciate its original immensity. The museum highlight, however, is a massive, incredibly preserved, 1st-century-BC mosaic that colorfully details a Nile River scene, complete with ancient Egyptian boats, waving palm trees, and animals.

With dazzling "virtual" versions of Herculaneum's streets and squares and a multidimensional simulation of Vesuvius erupting, Herculaneum's 1st-century-meets-the-21st-century museum is a must for kids and adults alike. After stopping at the ticket office, you descend, as in an excavation, to a floor below. You'll experience Herculaneum's Villa dei Papiri before and (even more dramatically) during the eruption, courtesy of special effects: enter "the burning cloud" of AD 79; then emerge, virtually speaking, inside Pompeii's House of the Faun, which can be seen both as it is and as it was for two centuries BC. The next re-creation is again Villa dei Papiri. Then comes a stellar pre- and postflooding view of Baia's Nymphaeum, the now-displaced statues arrayed as they were in the days of Emperor Claudius, who commissioned them.

Visitors here are invited to take a front-row seat for "Day and Night in the Forum of Pompeii," with soldiers, litter-bearing slaves, and toga-clad figures moving spectrally to complete the spell; or to make a vicarious visit to the Lupanari brothels, their various pleasures illustrated in graphic virtual frescoes along the walls. A wooden model of Herculaneum's theater, its virtual re-creation, reminds us that it was here that a local farmer, while digging a well, first came across what proved to be not merely a single building but a whole town. Equally fascinating are the virtual baths. There's also a 3D film of Vesuvius erupting, replete with a fatalistic narrative and cataclysmic special effects: the words of Pliny the Younger provide a timeless commentary while the floor vibrates under your feet.

This museum contains Etruscan and Roman sculpture and pottery excavated from around the area. According to cognoscenti, the Etruscan collection is one of the best in Italy.

Housed in a restored palace that originally belonged to the Chiaramonte, one of the most powerful noble families in Sicily, this museum's architecture is a wonderful testimony to Sicily's complex history, an appealing fusion of Romanesque, Byzantine, Norman, Gothic, and Spanish. Highlights are the Gothic chapterhouse and the old defensive tower; the holes in the faded Byzantine frescoes of saints were created by American soldiers billeted here during World War II, who needed pegs to hang their kits on. Best of all, the ethnographic collection is on the top floor. Formed entirely of bits and pieces donated by locals at the end of the 20th century, it offers fascinating and often funny insights into everyday life, with exhibits ranging from recipe books to an ammunition belt modified for school exams so that cheat notes could be rolled up and stored in the bullet pockets.  The museum is located at a high point in the city on a street inaccessible to cars, so that it may be challenging for those with mobility issues. 

Florence's Children's Museum may be the city's best-kept public-access secret. A series of interactive tours includes "Encounters with History," during which participants meet and talk with Giorgio Vasari or Galileo Galilei and explore secret passageways. Events occur at different venues (Palazzo Vecchio, Museo Stibbert, and the Museo Galileo). Tours are in English and must be booked in advance. Though most are geared for the three- to eight-year-old crowd, adults will find them lots of fun, too.

Home to the Burano Lace School from 1872 to 1970, the palace of Podestà of Torcello now houses a museum dedicated to the craft for which this island is known. Detailed explanations of the manufacturing process and Burano's distinctive history as a lace-making capital provide insight into displays that showcase everything from black Venetian Carnival capes to fingerless, elbow-length “mitten gloves” fashionable in 17th-century France. Portraits of Venice’s aristocracy as well as embroidered silk and brocade gowns with lace embellishments provide greater societal context on the historical use of lace in European fashion. You can also watch interesting lace-making demonstrations.

The trademark crumbly cheese is the focus of this museum, which is part of the collective known as Musei del Cibo whose goal is to showcase the region's most famous foods. There's a video that demonstrates the process of making Parmigiano-Reggiano and exhibits that explore the history of the cheese. Tastings are also offered, and cheese is available to purchase.

Part of the collective known as Musei del Cibo, which works to showcase the region's most famous foods, this museum offers an in-depth look at Italy's most famous cured pork product. It offers tastings, a bit of history on prosciutto, and a tour through the process of making it. A gift shop ensures that you can take some of this marvelous product home.

Fine historic and contemporary examples of local woodworking are on display here, as well as a retrospective on the life of local film director Luis Trenker.

In the 1930s, the Italian government drained Nemi's lake to recover two magnificent ceremonial ships, loaded with sculptures, bronzes, and art treasures, that were submerged for 2,000 years. The Museo delle Navi Romane, on the lakeshore below the town of Nemi, was built to house the ships, but they were destroyed in a fire during World War II. Inside are scale models, finds from the Bronze Age Diana sanctuary and the area nearby, and an excellent video exhibit explaining the history of the ships. There's also a colossal statue of the infamous and extravagant Roman emperor Caligula, who had the massive barges built; the Italian police once snatched the marble sculpture back from tomb robbers just as they were about to smuggle it out of the country.

Across the river from Galileo's former home, a monumental sundial, installed in 2007, sits outside the Palazzo Castellani, one of the city's oldest palaces and now home to this museum dedicated to Renaissance scientists and inventors. The permanent collection features both objects and videos that enlighten you on innovations from the 14th to 17th centuries. Particularly intriguing is Antonio Santucci's armillary sphere, created in 1588 for Ferdinand I de' Medici, and an engraved geometric and military compass built by Galileo in 1606. A research library with more than 170,000 scientific books, from ancient to modern, is also open to the public.

This collection of more than 4,000 masterpieces showcasing the traditional Opera dei Pupi (puppet show), both Sicilian and otherwise, will delight visitors of all ages with their glittering armor and fierce expressions. The free audio guide to the colorful displays is only available in Italian, but the well-designed exhibits include video clips of the puppets in action, which requires no translation. There are also regular live performances in the museum's theater (Monday 11 am and Tuesday–Saturday 5 pm), which center on the chivalric legends of troubadours of bygone times. The museum can be hard to find: look for the small alley just off Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5.

Museo Leonardiano, atop the castle belonging to the Guidi family in the historic center of Vinci, has replicas of many of Leonardo's machines and gadgets. The stunning country views most likely influenced the artist, as some of his painted backgrounds suggest the hills of Vinci.

This converted cloister is best known for the collection of models based on Leonardo da Vinci's sketches. One of the most visited rooms features interactive, moving models of the famous vita aerea (aerial screw) and ala battente (beating wing), thought to be forerunners of the modern helicopter and airplane, respectively. The museum also houses a varied collection of industrial artifacts, including trains, and several reconstructed workshops, including a watchmaker's, a lute maker's, and an antique pharmacy.

Begun in 1906, the Targa Florio car race weaved its way through the picturesque towns and villages of the Madonie Mountains every year until it was stopped in 1977 for safety reasons; today the same route is driven as part of the annual Italian Rally Championship. Collesano has been an important stage of the race since its inception, and today the city is home to a museum dedicated to the history of the car race. In a detailed exhibition, you can learn of its origins and participants, including some of the most famous drivers that Italy has ever produced. It's an excellent museum for those who love racing and cars.

The Castello di Milazzo is home to this museum founded by Sicilian marine biologist Carmelo Isgro who recovered the remains of a sperm whale that died after it was caught in an illegal fishing net off the Aeolian Islands. Isgro reconstructed the whale's skeleton, and it became the central figure of the museum along with other exhibits that highlight the relationship between man and the sea and how it can be improved. While the museum is free, you still have to book your ticket online at least 24 hours in advance.

Fascinating 90-minute tours of a portion of Naples's fabled underground city provide an initiation into the complex history of the city center. Efforts to dramatize the experience—amphoras lowered on ropes to draw water from cisterns, candles given to navigate narrow passages, objects shifted to reveal secret passages—combine with enthusiastic English-speaking guides to make this particularly exciting for older children. Be prepared on the underground tour to go up and down many steps and crouch in very narrow corridors.

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.

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).