Top Italy Tourist Attractions

Venice, Italy, is known to be one of the most magical place on earth. Sitting in the Adriatic Sea like a vision (especially if one first approaches it from the mainland by boat), the city is an emblematic symbol of art, culture, and evokes the power of imagination...

One of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice, the Rialto Bridge is the oldest and serves as the dividing line between the San Marco and San Polo districts. It began as a floating pontoon bridge built by Nicolò Barattieri in the late-12th century and was named Ponte della Moneta due to its proximity to the entrance of the mint...

Officially titled Palazzo Santa Sofia, the Ca’ d’Oro (or “Golden House”) is one of the oldest palaces on Venice’s Grand Canal. It was nicknamed due to the gilt and polychrome decorations that once adorned the walls, with delicate marble filigree by Bartolomeo Bon on the façade that would have made an undeniably impressive vision...

Considered one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre”, Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in the heart of Venice. It was here that some of the most celebrated operas were premiered during the 19th century, including those by composers such as Verdi, Bellini and Rossini...

An iconic symbol of Venice, gondolas are a traditional, flat-bottomed rowing boat that was once the preferred means for Venetians to get around the city’s canals. These wooden boats are made by hand in special workshops known as squeri, with a few still in operation today...

Dating to the 16th century, the Scuola Grande di San Rocco is one of the most beautiful buildings in Venice. It was constructed from white marble to house a charitable society dedicated to San Rocco, regarded by many as a protector against the plague...

Located on the Grand Canal in the Dorsoduro sestiere, Palazzo Rezzonico (also known as Ca' Rezzonico) is an opulent palace that provides a fascinating glimpse into 18th-century Venetian life. It was designed by the Baroque architect Baldassare Longhena, but not completed until 1756 (almost 100 years later) by Giorgio Massari...

Situated on the Campo dei Frari in the heart of the San Polo district, the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari is one of the most important churches in Venice. Affectionately known as the “Frari”, construction began on the church around 1340 by the Franciscans and its immense campanile (the second tallest in the city) was completed in 1396...

Considered the “parent island” of Venice, Torcello lies at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon. It was first settled in the 5th century, developing into a bustling commercial town with its own cathedral by the 12th century and believed to be from where Venice’s population originated...

Nicknamed the “marble church”, Santa Maria dei Miracoli is one of the best-preserved examples of early Venetian Renaissance architecture. It was designed by Pietro Lombardo and built between 1481 and 1489 to enshrine a picture of the Virgin Mary, with the plans expanded in 1484 to include a new convent...

Separating the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea, the Lido di Venezia is a 12-kilometer-long strip of sand that is considered Europe’s first beach resort. It was once the place to be seen for celebrities and royalty, with grand hotels and Art Nouveau villas lining its golden sands...

One of the most iconic landmarks in Venice, the Campanile di San Marco is the soaring bell tower of Saint Mark’s Basilica. It stands alone in a corner of Piazza San Marco near the front of the basilica and towers to a height of almost 100 meters...

Towering on the northern side of Piazza San Marco near the entrance to the Merceria, the Torre dell’Orologio adjoins the eastern end of the Procuratie Vecchie. This Renaissance clock tower dates to the late 15th century and was designed to exhibit the wealth of Venice and strategically placed to be visible from the lagoon waters...

One of the largest churches in Venice, Santi Giovanni e Paolo is located in the Castello sestiere and was built on the remains of an earlier church. Doge Jacopo Tiepolo donated the land after he experienced a vivid dream in which white doves flew over it...

Situated near the University of Venice, Campo Santa Margherita is a prominent city square in the Dorsoduro sestiere. It is named after a church that once stood on its northern side and has long been home to fisherman’s stalls and a small vegetable market...

Located in the lively Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice, Campo San Barnaba is a small square named after the San Barnaba Church. This Neoclassical church was dedicated to the Apostle Saint Barnabas and dates to 1776 when it was reconstructed based on designs by Lorenzo Boschetti...

Renowned for its long tradition of glassmaking, Murano is a series of seven islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon. Jump aboard a vaporetto and make the short ride across the lagoon to visit Murano’s Museo del Vetro and shop for locally crafted glasswork...

Lake Garda is the largest and probably the most popular of the Italian lakes, situated halfway between Milan and Venice. With its 50km length and 20km width, it covers three regions...

Located overlooking the water in Piazza San Marco, the Colonna di San Marco e San Teodoro are two columns topped with bronze and marble statues that honor Venice’s patron saints. San Marco Evangelista is depicted as a winged lion on the Column of the Lion, while San Teodoro is seen atop the other...

The Bridge of Sighs is a limestone bridge in Venice that connects the Prison to the Palazzo Ducale (Doge's Palace). It crosses the Rio di Palazzo canal...

Positioned on the narrow Punta della Dogana that lies between the Grand Canal and the Giudecca Canal, Santa Maria della Salute is a Roman Catholic church in the Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice. Construction began in 1631 following a devastating outbreak of the plague and the church was dedicated to Our Lady of Deliverance (“Salute”), with many of its art works referencing the “Black Death”...

Established by the Italian Royal Navy in 1919 (just after the end of World War I), the Museo Storico Navale (Museum of Naval History) is located in the Castello district of Venice. It highlights the naval and maritime history of the city and its famous Arsenale (Arsenal), with a fascinating collection of ship models and old weapons...

Dedicated to pre-19th-century art, the Gallerie dell’Accademia is one of Venice’s most famous art museums. It’s situated on the southern bank of the Grand Canal and originally served as the gallery of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia until the art school was relocated to the Ospedale degli Incurabili in 2004...

Imposing and elegant, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls - built in the 4th century - is one of Rome's four papal basilicas. About 2 km outside the Aurelian Walls (after which the basilica is named), this massive Roman church - and the second largest after St...

Most tourists are unaware of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, located over the Celio Hill on the south side of Rome...

Rising above the trendy neighborhood Trastevere, south of the Vatican, is set the Janiculum Hill (Gianicolo in Italian). Some people consider it as the eighth hill of Rome...

The Roman Ghetto (the oldest Jewish community in all of Europe) was established in 1555 on the banks of the Tiber. Here, until 1870, the city’s Jewish population was forced to live behind a walled gate, under severe restrictions and controlled by the Pope...

Once you've gotten a taste of the works of Renaissance master Caravaggio, you might want to head to the San Luigi dei Francesi church, to admire his most powerful works.

Located between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, this opulent baroque church is home to a celebrated trio of Caravaggio paintings: the Vocazione di San Matteo (The Calling of Saint Matthew), the Martirio di San Matteo (The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew) and San Matteo e L’Angelo (Saint Matthew and the Angel), known together as the Saint Matthew cycle...

Giorgio De Chirico spent thirty years living and working in the 17th-century “Palazzetto dei Borgognoni” in Piazza di Spagna in the center of Rome, the city's cultural and artistic heart.

De Chirico – who passed away 40 years ago - is known to have produced artwork in the neoclassical and neo-Baroque style and his works are also featured in art institutions like the Guggenheim...

Just like Milan, Rome is a cult for shopping. The eternal city is full of elegant shops, megastores and big brands shops, in the city center or on the outskirts...

Ponte Sisto, or Sisto Bridge, is one of the most famous bridges in Rome crossing the Tiber River and connecting Rome’s historic center with the charming Trastevere neighborhood, where laundry swings overhead and flowers burst from window boxes.

The Ponte Sisto offers one of the most beautiful perspectives on Rome’s skyline, from the Janiculum Hill in the west to the St...

Pope Francis holds a Papal Audience in St. Peter’s Square every Wednesday morning at 10:30 am that usually runs 60-90 minutes...

Italians have been doing quality street food much longer than some of us might think. Italians do a parade around the piazza with gelato, or slice of pizza in their hand...

Lago Trasimeno is the largest lake in Central Italy. Thanks to its warm climate, with long summers and moderate winters, you can swim in the lake from May to September (and is safe for children as well)...

The Riviera del Brenta connects Padua with the lagoon of Venice by 36 km of beautiful and unique countryside: a landscape which portrays art and culture, nature and history.

The construction of the canal began in the 16th century...