792 Best Sights in Italy

Francesco I de' Medici commissioned the multitalented Bernardo Buontalenti in 1568 to build a villa and a grandiose park (Parco di Pratolino) to accompany it. The park, particularly the colossal and whimsical sculpture of the Fontana dell'Appenino (Fountain of the Appenines), executed by Giambologna in 1579–89, is worth a visit. Besides providing a nice excursion from Florence, the villa is an excellent picnic spot.

To get here by car, head north from Florence on the SR65 toward Pratolino and follow signs to the villa. Or take Bus 25 from Piazza San Marco and get off at Pratolino.

Villa di Castello was bought in 1477 by Lorenzo and Giovanni di Pierfrancesco de' Medici and restructured by Cosimo I in the 16th century. The Grotta degli Animali displays sculpted animals by Giambologna. Allow about 45 minutes to visit the garden.

To get to Villa di Castello by car, head northwest from Florence on Via Reginaldo Giuliani (also known as Via Sestese) to Castello, about 6 km (4 miles) northwest of the city center in the direction of Sesto Fiorentino; follow signs to Villa di Castello. Or take Bus 28 from the city center and tell the driver you want to get off at Villa di Castello; from the stop, walk north about ½ km (¼ mile) up the alley. (Hours and opening times are highly variable; call ahead to verify.)

The gorgeous 18th-century Villa Faraggiana, near the parish church, has exhibits on the history of pottery and hosts an array of events from concerts to weddings.

Now a chiefly residential neighborhood, the Vomero Hill was once the patrician address of many of Naples's most extravagant estates. La Floridiana is the sole surviving 19th-century example, built in 1817 on order of Ferdinand IV for Lucia Migliaccio, duchess of Floridia—their portraits hang in a room to the left of the villa's main entrance. Only nine shocking months after his first wife, the Habsburg Maria Carolina, died, Ferdinand secretly married Lucia, his longtime mistress, when the court was still in mourning. Scandal ensued, but the king and his new wife were too happy to worry, escaping high above the city to this elegant little estate. Immersed in a delightful park done in the English style by Degenhardt (also responsible for the park in Capodimonte), the villa was designed by architect Antonio Niccolini in the Neoclassical style. It now houses the Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di Martina, a museum devoted to the decorative arts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Countless cases on three floors display what Edith Wharton described as "all those fragile and elaborate trifles the irony of fate preserves when brick and marble crumble": Sèvres, Limoges, and Meissen porcelains, gold watches, ivory fans, glassware, enamels, majolica vases, as well as one of the most significant collections of Oriental antiquities in Italy. Sadly, there are no period rooms left to see.

Villa Gamberaia was the 15th-century country home of Matteo di Domenico Gamberelli, the father of Renaissance sculptors Bernardo, Antonio, and Matteo Rossellino. This excursion takes about 1½ hours.

To get here by car, head east on Via Aretina, an extension of Via Gioberti, which is picked up at Piazza Beccaria; follow the sign to the turnoff to the north to Villa Gamberaia, about 8 km (5 miles) from the center. To go by bus, take Bus 10 to Settignano. From Settignano's main Piazza Tommaseo, walk east on Via di San Romano; the second lane on the right is Via del Rossellino, which leads southeast to the entrance of Villa Gamberaia. The walk from the piazza takes about 10 minutes. Though booking is not essential, it would be prudent to do so.

The gardens of Villa La Petraia sit high above the Arno. The villa was built around a medieval tower and reconstructed after it was purchased by the Medici sometime after 1530. Allow 60 minutes to explore the park and gardens, plus 30 minutes for the guided tour of the villa interior.

To get here by car, follow directions to Villa di Castello, but take the right off Via Reginaldo Giuliani, following the sign for Villa La Petraia. You can walk from Villa di Castello to Villa La Petraia in about 15 minutes; turn left beyond the gate of Villa di Castello and continue straight along Via di Castello and the imposing Villa Corsini; take Via della Petraia uphill to the entrance.

The main draw of the sweet but underwhelming village of Bagnaia is the hillside garden and park that surround the two small, identical residences. They were both built in the 16th century but by different owners and more than 30 years apart. The first belonged to Cardinal Gianfrancesco Gambara. Cardinal Alessandro Montalto built the second and commissioned the virtuoso architect Giacomo Barozzi (circa 1507–73)—who was known as Vignola and who later worked with Michelangelo on St. Peter's—to design a stunning garden filled with grottoes, fountains, and immaculately manicured hedges.

An adjacent untamed park contrasts with the symmetry of the formal gardens, where the lowest terrace has a centerpiece fountain fed by water channeled down the hillside. On another terrace, water runs through a groove carved in the long stone table where the cardinal entertained his friends, chilling wine in the running water. It's just one of the whimsical water features that were devised for the cardinal.

Extensive grounds with rare trees, ornamental fountains, and garden follies surround this extraordinary palace in Stra, 13 km (8 miles) southeast of Padua. Built in 1721 for the Venetian doge Alvise Pisani, it recalls Versailles more than a Veneto villa. This was one of the last and grandest of many stately residences constructed along the Brenta River from the 16th to 18th centuries by wealthy Venetians for their villeggiatura escape from midsummer humidity. Gianbattista Tiepolo's (1696–1770) spectacular fresco on the ballroom ceiling, The Apotheosis of the Pisani Family (1761), alone is worth the visit. For a relaxing afternoon, explore the gorgeous park and maze. To get here from Padua, take the SITA bus, or from Venice or Padua, take AVTV Bus No. 53E. The villa is a five-minute walk from the bus stop in Stra. Mussolini invited Hitler here for their first meeting, but they stayed only one night because of the mosquitoes, which continue to be a nuisance. If visiting on a late afternoon in summer, carry bug repellent.

Spread over three floors of the Barolo Castle, this quirky wine museum looks at the emotions behind the region’s top tipple. The entertaining interactive exhibits explore such themes as the moon in harmony, the geometry of life, and the history of wine, through films, displays, and art—just don’t expect a glass of Barolo at the end.

A seven-stop commuter funicular begins at Piazza della Nunziata and ends at a high lookout on the fortified gates in the 17th-century city walls. Ringed around the circumference of the city are a number of huge fortresses; this gate was part of the city's system of defenses. From Righi you can undertake scenic all-day hikes from one fortress to the next.

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.