18 Best Sights in Italy

Housed in a handsome palazzo with three distinct windows (hence oci, or eyes in Venetian dialect), this fabulous art gallery is a must-visit for those seeking interesting art photography exhibitions and cultural events, including immersive art performances in a very special place.

Udine's fine civic collection of modern and contemporary art is housed in the handsome and part-modernized 16th-century Casa Cavazzini, which retains some ornate apartment interiors. The first and second floors display the permanent collection: first-floor highlights include bold sculptural works by the three Udinese brothers Dino, Mirko, and Afro Basaldella, with a backdrop of 14th-century frescoes discovered during the 2012 refurbishing. There are also fine works by Giorgio Morandi, Renato Guttuso, and Carlo Carrà. Up a floor is the Collezione Astaldi, spanning the 1920s through the 1960s, and Collezione FRIAM, with '60s and '70s works. Worth seeking out are Giorgio de Chirico's I Gladiatori (1931) and pieces by 20th-century American icons Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, and Sol LeWitt. 

With one ticket, you can visit the Pilotta museums. The Galleria Nazionale contains masterpieces by Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, and Bronzino. The Baroque Teatro Farnese, built in 1617–18, is made entirely of wood—though largely destroyed in a 1944 Allied bombing raid, it's been flawlessly restored. In the Archeological Museum see Etruscan, Roman, and Egyptian artifacts; the Palatina Library houses more than 500 religious manuscripts; and the Bodoniano museum covers printmaking.

Don't be put off by the drab, modern municipal building, which houses the fascinating Capo d'Orlando's contemporary arts center, archive, and gallery. A changing exhibition space staffed by a friendly and informative team displays works by dozens of Italian and international artists who have held residencies as part of an ongoing program that stretches back to 1955 called "Life and Landscape of Capo d'Orlando". One of these first visiting artists was Tono Zancanaro (1906--1985), a Padua native who fell in love with Capo's landscape and people and returned regularly thereafter, leaving a captivating and eclectic documentary collection of his work and Sicilian life.

Contemporary and modern art enthusiasts should seek out this 2018-established collection lovingly amassed since the late '60s by a wealthy Pugliese couple. Among the 200-plus works, striking geometric and abstract paintings and sculpture from 1950–80 predominate. The permanent exhibits are a wonderful introduction to masters of modernismo italiano and less well-known Pugliese artists from Burri to Zorio.

This small nonprofit art foundation is housed inside the turn-of-the-century Cerere factory, which produced pasta until 1960 and embodies San Lorenzo's transition from industrial to artsy. Although the foundation was established in 2004 to promote the work of young contemporary artists, artists have been renting studio space in the factory since the 1970s. Part of the exhibition space has remained raw, which makes for interesting site-specific installations. Check in advance to see what's happening, as exhibitions typically change every couple of months.

This is the Roman outpost of Larry Gagosian’s global art empire. Taking residence in a 1920s bank building, Gagosian brings an international crowd with highly anticipated exhibitions and blockbuster showcases of megastars such as Cy Twombly, Damien Hirst, and Jeff Koons.

Housed in a 1930s palazzo and displaying over 400 mainly Italian modern works amassed largely by collector Giuseppe Ricci Oddi (1868–1936), this gallery hit worldwide headlines for the mysterious and labyrinthine saga surrounding centerpiece painting Portrait of a Lady by Gustav Klimt (1862--1918). After viewing the vivacious expressionistic canvas and learning about the theft, forgery and reappearance of the Austrian lady 23 years after her theft in 1997, you can join those who like to speculate over the curious, clandestine turn of events. Not be overshadowed, the luminous paintings and sculptures largely spans Romanticism through Expressionism, with works by De Nittis, Grosso, Pellizza da Volpedo, Larsson and Boccioni.

Once the headquarters of the Banco di Napoli, this vast 20th-century building houses a small museum that's worth seeking out for its outstanding collection of 17th- and 18th-century paintings. Relocated from the nearby 17th-century Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in 2022, the star attraction is Caravaggio's last work, The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula. The saint here is, for dramatic effect, deprived of her usual retinue of a thousand followers. On the left, with a face of pure spite, is the king of the Huns, who has just shot Ursula with an arrow after his proposal of marriage has been rejected. A changing program "L’Ospite Illustre" introduces pieces by an "lllustrious guest," such as Raphael and Velázquez from renowned collections.

Launched in 2019 and housed mainly in the former Dreher brewery industrial complex, GAD art village comprises a number of galleries and spaces, including those of renowned video artist Fabrizio Plessi, and hosts temporary exhibitions by world-renowned artists like Yoko Ono and other Biennale artists.

Set in the west wing of a former boarding school within the Cini Foundation complex, these sleek gallery rooms host exhibitions exploring 20th- and 21st-century glass, from art pieces to commercial producers, including Venini.

With 86,111 square feet of exhibition space, a host of young and helpful attendants, and occasional late-night events, the Madre is one of the most visited museums in Naples. Most of the artworks on the first floor were installed in situ by their creators, but the second-floor gallery exhibits works by international and Italian contemporary artists. The museum also hosts temporary shows by major international artists.

If you're keen to delve deeper into Rome's contemporary art scene, come to this stark-white gallery, which represents local and international artists whose work gets shown at international art fairs and prestigious museums like MAXXI and MACRO. The gallery has four exhibitions per year.

Throughout Savoca you'll see works by steel artist Nino Ucchino, such as the now-iconic sculpture of Francis Ford Coppola behind his camera and an amusing talking donkey. You can visit his studio, perched on the hillside on the road into town, to see the master at work or buy some of his creations. He's there in his studio most afternoons, but it's best to call ahead to be sure he's available.

Opened in 2020 and housed in a magnificent historic palazzo, originally dating from the 15th century, the Gallery showcases the De Martiis family's exquisite collection of 20th-century art. Among the figurative works is a saucy Toulouse-Lautrec, and there are eye-popping impressionist masterpieces by Karel Appel and Victor Vasarely.  For tourist info visit the ground-floor Sportello Informacittà.

This palace was built in the 16th century over a medieval hall, and its facade was rebuilt in the late 18th century and later restored. It now houses temporary exhibitions upstairs and a couple of cocktail bars and restaurants on the ground floor. The amazingly large courtyard (which is free) is worth strolling through.

Bologna's principal art gallery contains many works by the immortals of Italian painting; its prize possession is the Ecstasy of St. Cecilia by Raphael (1483–1520). There's also a beautiful polyptych by Giotto (1267–1337), as well as Madonna with Child and Saints Margaret, Jerome, and Petronius (altarpiece of St. Margaret) by Parmigianino (1503–40); note the rapt eye contact between St. Margaret and the Christ child.