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Country guide
Italy holds 62 World Heritage Sites, more than any other country, spread across 301,340 km2 of land that runs from the Alps down into the middle of the Mediterranean. The distances between its cities are short and the differences between them are not: Venice has no roads, Naples sits under a volcano on a bay, Florence fits inside a walkable Renaissance grid, and Milan keeps its art indoors and works for a living. Rome is the capital and the obvious first trip; the argument is always about what comes second. Nearly 800 islands hang off the coast, and Sicily and Sardinia are each large enough to be a trip of their own.
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Bert Kaufmann from Roermond, Netherlands · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photograph · Steffen Schmitz · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Wikibusters · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
8 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
The Colosseum is the Flavian Amphitheatre, the largest amphitheatre in the world, standing at the eastern end of the Roman Forum on Piazza del Colosseo.
Milan's cathedral was begun in 1386, on ground already occupied by the basilicas of Santa Maria Maggiore and Santa Tecla, whose remains still lie under the square.
The Palatine is the hill in the middle of the seven, rising between the Roman Forum on its north side and the Circus Maximus on its south, and it is the place Rome kept returning to.
Porta Nuova is a business district on the northern rim of central Milan, and the name holds two places at once.
The Boboli Gardens climb the hillside directly behind Pitti Palace and run south along the line of the old city walls as far as Porta Romana.
Castel Sant'Angelo is a single drum of brick and travertine on the right bank of the Tiber, and it has been four different buildings without ever being rebuilt.
The Cimitero Monumentale is Milan's municipal cemetery north of the centre, and the city has treated it as a public monument since the day it opened.
The Roman Forum is the excavated floor of the valley between the Capitoline and Palatine hills, and it was the centre of Roman public life for more than a thousand years.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Ten to fourteen days can combine Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome by high-speed train. Give Venice more than a transfer night and Rome several separate sightseeing days; rural Tuscany needs different transport planning from the rail-linked cities.
Italy is in the Schengen Area, but visa and passport requirements vary by nationality and route. Use Italy's official visa portal to confirm the applicable rule before travel rather than relying on another Schengen trip.
High-speed trains connect Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome, with regional rail and coaches serving smaller places. Drivers must check ZTL restrictions before entering historic centres because access controls are local and can generate fines.
April to June and September to October broadly suit the north-to-Rome rail route. Lagoon conditions in Venice, summer heat in Rome, and seasonal rural services in Tuscany should be checked independently.
Italy uses the euro (EUR). Carry a modest cash reserve for small purchases while using cards where accepted, and verify the euro amount at the terminal instead of accepting an unexamined conversion.
Italy routes emergency calls through 112. Travellers encounter a 230 V supply and Type C, F, or L receptacles. No tap-water assessment is recorded for Italy; obtain current local advice at the destination.
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