Places by: ITALYscapes

The Church of Piedigrotta is one of the most unusual religious sites in Pizzo. The church is carved directly into a coastal tuff rock cave near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It combines religious devotion, local legends, marine history, and sculptural art in a single monument. Located close to the beach below Read more [...]

The Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino, widely known as Trani Cathedral, is the principal religious monument of Trani. It rises within the historical center, only a few steps from the Adriatic Sea, occupying a commanding position that visually links sacred architecture with the maritime identity of the city. Officially named Read more [...]

The Ponte Vecchio, also known as Ponte degli Alpini, is the covered wooden bridge crossing the Brenta River in Bassano del Grappa. It is one of the most recognizable monuments of the city and one of the best-known wooden bridges in Italy. The bridge is linked to Andrea Palladio, who Read more [...]

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and San Geminiano is the Cathedral of Modena, located on Corso Duomo, in the historical center of the city. The Cathedral of Modena is a masterpiece of the Romanesque style, built on the site of the tomb of San Geminiano (Saint Geminianus), patron saint Read more [...]

Palazzo Ducale is a large palace in Modena, located in Piazza Roma, in the northern part of the historical center of the city. The Ducal Palace of Modena, one of the most important Baroque structures in Italy, was the seat of the House of Este between the 17th and 19th Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna is one of the most extraordinary monuments of early Byzantine architecture and art in Europe. Located in Via San Vitale, just a few meters from the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Basilica of San Vitale represents the artistic, political, Read more [...]

The Cathedral of San Ciriaco (Ancona Cathedral) is the principal place of worship in the city of Ancona and one of the most evocative religious monuments on the Adriatic coast. It rises dramatically on the summit of Monte Guasco, overlooking the harbor and the historic center. This privileged location was Read more [...]

Tempio Malatestiano, also known as the Cathedral of Santa Colomba, is the Cathedral of Rimini, located in Via IV Novembre.   SHORT HISTORY OF TEMPIO MALATESTIANO A chapel dedicated to Santa Maria in Trivio is documented on this site in the 9th century. The chapel was demolished in 1257, to Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Reggia di Venaria Reale (Palace of Venaria Reale) is one of the palaces of the House of Savoy, located in Venaria Reale. Reggia di Venaria Reale was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997. In 2018, it recorded over 1 million visitors, making it Read more [...]

Piazza Ducale is the main square of Vigevano, located in the historical center of the city. Piazza Ducale is one of the first Renaissance-style squares in Italy and is among the best examples of Lombard architecture of the 15th century.   SHORT HISTORY OF PIAZZA DUCALE The area on which Read more [...]

The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is the Cathedral of Turin, located in the homonymous square, Piazza San Giovanni. The Cathedral of San Giovanni Battista is famous for housing since 1578 the Holy Shroud of Turin.   SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF SAN Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Mole Antonelliana is a monumental building in Turin, located in Via Montebello, in the historical center of the city. Since 2000, the building houses the National Museum of Cinema (Museo Nazionale del Cinema). With a height of 167.5 meters, Mole Antonelliana is the symbol of Turin Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Cathedral of the Nativity of Saint Mary, better known as Duomo di Milano, is the largest church in Italy, and the fourth largest in the world. The Cathedral, which took almost six hundred years to complete, is the most important tourist attraction in Milan and Read more [...]

Castello Estense (Este Castle), also known as Castello di San Michele (Saint Michael’s Castle), is a moated medieval castle in Ferrara, located in the historical center of the city.   SHORT HISTORY OF CASTELLO ESTENSE In May 1385, the people of Ferrara, hearing of another tax increase, revolted against it. Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Palazzo Vecchio is the monumental town hall of Florence, located in Piazza della Signoria, one of the most important civic spaces in the historic center. The palace stands beside the Uffizi Gallery, about 50 meters from its northern side, and about 300 meters from Ponte Vecchio. Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:VivaTicket Palazzo Pubblico, also known as Palazzo Comunale, is a medieval palace in Siena, located in the beautiful Piazza del Campo. Currently, the palace houses the Civic Museum of Siena on the first floor, and the city’s Town Hall on the second floor.   SHORT HISTORY After Read more [...]

Grand Canal, known in Italian as Canal Grande, is the main waterway of Venice and the most important navigable route through the city’s historical center. Instead of a monumental avenue, Venice has a water boulevard, lined with palaces, churches, warehouses, hotels, museums, and public buildings. The canal crosses Venice in Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Palazzo Ducale (Ducal Palace), also known as the Gonzaga Palace, is a large complex of historical buildings in Mantua, located in the beautiful Piazza Sordello.   SHORT HISTORY Starting with 1308, Palazzo Ducale was the official residence of the lords of Mantua, belonging at first to Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Palazzo Te is a Renaissance palace located in the suburban area of Mantua. The complex is now the seat of the Civic Museum and since 1990 of the International Center of Art and Culture of Palazzo Te.   SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO TE When Francesco II Read more [...]

Castelvecchio is a medieval fortress in the historic center of Verona, on the right bank of the Adige River. Today, the complex houses the Civic Museum of the same name, one of the city’s most important cultural institutions and a major landmark of Scaliger military architecture. Castelvecchio was built during Read more [...]

Torre degli Asinelli (Asinelli Tower), the tallest medieval leaning tower in the world, is located in Bologna, in Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, about 350 meters away from Piazza Maggiore. Together with the nearby Garisenda Tower (Torre della Garisenda), forms the architectural complex named Two Towers (Due Torri), symbol of the Read more [...]

Piazza Unità d’Italia (Unity of Italy Square) is the main square of Trieste. The rectangular piazza, located at the foot of the San Giusto Hill, opens on one side onto the Gulf of Trieste. With an area of 12,280 square meters, it is considered the largest seafront square in Europe. Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide St Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) is the cathedral of Venice and one of the most famous religious monuments in Italy. It stands in Piazza San Marco, in the sestiere of San Marco, beside the Doge’s Palace and close to the lagoon-facing Piazzetta. The Basilica Read more [...]

The Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua is the most important religious monument in Padua and one of the best-known Catholic shrines in Italy. Located in Piazza del Santo, it is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, the Portuguese Franciscan friar who died near the city in 1231. The Basilica Read more [...]

Cimitero Monumentale di Milano (Monumental Cemetery of Milan) is a large cemetery in Milan. Famous for the abundance of artistic tombs and monuments, the cemetery is an open-air museum, which definitely deserves to be on the list of the most important tourist attractions of the city.   SHORT HISTORY In Read more [...]

Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio is a beautiful church in Milan, located in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio. One of the oldest churches in the city, it is traditionally considered the second most important church in Milan, after the Duomo.   SHORT HISTORY A first church was built on this place between 379 and 386, Read more [...]

Basilica Palladiana is the monumental public building that dominates Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza. Although its name can suggest a church, the building is a civic palace, created when Andrea Palladio redesigned the medieval Palazzo della Ragione with classical loggias in white stone. The Basilica Palladiana stands at the political Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheater located in the historical center of Verona, in Piazza Bra, the city’s largest and most representative square. The monument stands near Palazzo Barbieri, Via Roma, the Liston promenade, and the main pedestrian route that connects Piazza Bra with Verona’s medieval Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore is one of the most important churches in Verona, dedicated to Saint Zeno, the city’s patron saint and an early Christian bishop. The basilica stands in Piazza San Zeno, west of the historic center, and is among the clearest examples of Read more [...]

Palazzo della Loggia is a beautiful palace built in Renaissance style in Brescia, located in the square of the same name, today the seat of the city’s Municipal Council.   SHORT HISTORY In 1484, the municipal authorities of Brescia decided to build a grandiose palace as an expression of good Read more [...]

The Capitolium, or the Capitoline Temple (Tempio Capitolino), is a Roman temple located in Brescia, in Piazza del Foro, along Via dei Musei. The Capitolium represents the nucleus of the ancient Roman city of Brixia, and together with the theater and the ruins of the forum, is the most important Read more [...]

The Cathedral of Sant’Alessandro is the Cathedral of Bergamo, dedicated to Saint Alexander, the patron saint of the city. The Cathedral is located in the historical center of the city – Città Alta, in the small but beautiful Piazza del Duomo, near Palazzo della Ragione and the Basilica of Santa Read more [...]

Castello Aragonese is a castle built on a small volcanic island located near the eastern shore of Ischia, connected to the main island by a 220 meters long bridge.   SHORT HISTORY The small island on which the castle was built appeared after an eruption occurred over 300,000 years ago. Read more [...]

The Cathedral of San Nicolò, often referred to simply as Noto Cathedral, stands at the heart of the Sicilian baroque city of Noto, in the province of Syracuse. As a masterpiece of Sicilian Baroque architecture, the Cathedral of San Nicolò dominates the town’s skyline, rising at the top of a Read more [...]

Neptune’s Grotto is one of the largest marine caves in Italy, located on the Capo Caccia promontory, inside the Porto Conte Park, about 25 kilometers from Alghero.   SHORT HISTORY Neptune’s Grotto was discovered in the 18th century by a local fisherman, and it became over time a popular tourist Read more [...]

Marina Grande Beach, known in Italian as Spiaggia Grande (Large Beach), is the main beach of Positano, located in the southern part of the town. The beach measures about 300 meters in lenght and about 50 meters in width, and is one of the liveliest and most cosmopolitan beaches on Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Aquarium of Genoa is the largest aquarium in Italy, the first in Europe by the number of animal species, the third in Europe by area and the ninth in the world. The aquarium is located in the ancient port of Genoa.   SHORT HISTORY The Read more [...]

Lama Monachile Beach, also known as Cala Porto, is a small yet spectacular public beach located just steps away from the historic center of Polignano a Mare, in southern Italy’s Apulia region. Set at the mouth of a narrow rocky ravine and framed by imposing limestone cliffs, the Lama Monachile Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a covered pedestrian street located near the Milan Cathedral, which connects Piazza del Duomo to Piazza della Scala, in Milan. The gallery is one of the oldest shopping malls in Italy and one of the most famous landmarks of Milan. Since Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Piazza dei Miracoli, officially known as Piazza del Duomo, is the most important artistic and religious space in Pisa. Located in the north-western part of the historic city, the square brings together the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Leaning Tower, Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of the main religious monuments in Pisa‘s Piazza dei Miracoli, officially known as Piazza del Duomo. It stands in front of the western façade of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, south of the Camposanto Monumentale, and close to Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Pisa. It stands in Piazza del Duomo, the monumental religious square also known as Piazza dei Miracoli. The tower is famous worldwide for its unintended tilt, caused by Read more [...]

Baia del Silenzio (Bay of Silence) is a wonderful public beach located right in the historical center of Sestri Levante. Enclosed by old colorful buildings, Baia del Silenzio is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Italy. The beach is small, about 300 meters long and about 20 meters Read more [...]

Buy tickets & tours:GetYourGuide Castello Sforzesco, one of the largest castles in Europe, was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza. Located outside the historical center of Milan, the castle was one of the main military citadels of Europe between the 16th and 17th centuries. Restored between 1890 and Read more [...]

The Cathedral of the Madonna della Bruna and Sant’Eustachio, commonly known as Matera Cathedral, is the cathedral of Matera and one of the most important religious monuments in southern Italy. The Matera Cathedral is dedicated to the Madonna della Bruna, the Virgin Mary venerated as the patron saint of the Read more [...]

Isola Bella (known as Isula Bedda in the Sicilian dialect and translated as Beautiful Island in English) is a small island located in the Ionian Sea, just off the coast of Taormina, on the eastern side of Sicily. The island lies immediately opposite the beach that bears the same name, Read more [...]

The Cathedral of Sant’Agata is the Cathedral of Catania, dedicated to the martyr Saint Agatha, located in the main square of the city, Piazza del Duomo.   SHORT HISTORY The church had a tumultuous history, being repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt after the earthquakes occurred in the area. A first church Read more [...]

Marina di Portofino is one of the most beautiful harbours in the world, located in one of the most famous Italian destinations, Portofino. Marina di Portofino stands in the middle of a natural promontory and extends to the main square of the town, Piazza Martiri dell’Olivetta. Marina di Portofino offers Read more [...]

With 132 meters in length and 60 meters wide, the Basilica of San Petronio is the sixth largest church in Europe, despite being largely unfinished. Although is not the cathedral of Bologna, a title that belongs to the nearby Cathedral of San Pietro, it can be considered the main church Read more [...]

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell’Isola is a small historic church standing on the homonymous sandstone rock in Tropea, on the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria. Together with the cliff, the sea, and the beach below, it forms one of the most recognizable views of the town. The Sanctuary of Santa Read more [...]