Picturesque historic sights, antique atmospheric old towns, ancient ruins, art resources, beautiful countryside, and wonderful natural settings, trendy fashion, and passionate people make boot-shaped country of Southern Europe ‘Italy’ an incredibly fascinating and the world’s most popular tourist destination. Italy offers too much to explore and too much to feel magnificent and classy. An overview of the best places can ensure the truth.
Verona
Verona Italy, courtesy: 1zoom.net
Fourth most visited city in Italy Verona is not only the most romantic site where William Shakespeare set his Romeo and Juliet but also the most beautiful place stuffed with genuine antiquities and incredibly well-preserved arena, ancient Roman ruins, spectacular piazzas, historic churches, medieval castle and treasure including Juliet’s balcony built 400 years after Shakespeare wrote his play, and many more.
Roman Amphitheatre (Teatro Romano), Piazza delle Erbe, The Arena, Juliet’s House (Casa di Giulietta), Scaliger castle, Lamberti Tower (Torre Lamberti), Castelvecchio, Porta Borsari, Verona Cathedral (Duomo), and Giardino Giusti are some of the most interesting tourist attractions in Verona
Venice
Picturesque waterways and distinctively grand historic architectural monuments, castles, churches and show-stopping St. Mark’s Square and wealth of other attractions for contemporary visitors make Venice one of the best cities in the world. Venice is a classy romantic city in northeastern Italy, built upon a lagoon encircled by the Adriatic Sea or better to be called an archipelago of 118 islands that all are connected by series of bridges and pictorial canals among which the most popular is the Grand Canal that separates the city into two sections.
Canal Grande (The Grand Canal), Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark’s Basilica), Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), Rialto Bridge, Riva Degli Schiavone, Scuola Grande di San Marco, Squero di San Trovaso, Teatro La Fenice, Santa Maria della Salute, Gondola and countless sightseeing opportunities.
Rome
With millennium (2,500 years) long glorious history, the largest city in Italy, Rome is the significant center of power, culture and religion and definitely is one of the world’s greatest and oldest testimony to a great civilization. Rich historical heritage, infinite archaeological sites, art museums, ornamented statues and fascinating fountains, ancient churches, and ruins certainly make it the most fascinating place to visit.
The most thrilling ancient sight Colosseum, the iconic sight Pantheon, elegant neoclassical piazza Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna & the Spanish Steps, the world’s largest bath complex Baths of Caracalla, the largest remaining Roman triumphal arch the Arch of Constantine, late-16th-century Counter-Reformation architecture Chiesa del Gesù and many attractions to explore.
Florence
The Renaissance city in the heart of Tuscany Florence is the city of remarkable streets and squares, graceful and elegant architectures, cobblestoned streets, beautiful cathedrals and churches and masterpieces of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, and showstoppers like the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio.
Florence’s most famous square Piazza della Signoria, The most popular oldest art gallery in the Western World The Galleria degli Uffizi, one of the most visited Italian architecture The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, The National Museum of the Bargello that features the most remarkable sculptures from the leading artists of the Renaissance era, The Accademia, Pitti Palace that houses the art collection of the Medici family, San Lorenzo â€" a place of monumental tombs of some of the most famous Italian artists including Galileo, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, and the world’s oldest elliptic arch bridge Ponte Santa Trinita and many more to see.
Pisa
Pisa, the city of great history and tremendous artistic wealth along the Arno River in the northwestern region of Tuscany, carries the conspicuous remnants of its Middle Ages and is best known for its famous Leaning Tower and a lot more attractions worth a visit, including the Baptistry, the Field of Miracles, with the Duomo, the Monumental Cemetery and the Tower. The Museum of the Duomo and the Museum of the Sinopie houses remarkable treasures of former golden days.
One of Europe’s greatest groups of Romanesque buildings Campo dei Miracoli, Europe’s most famous tower Leaning Tower, Museo dell’OPera del Duomo, a picturesque modest church Santa Maria della Spina, white-marble building of late fourteenth century The Battistero or Baptistery that portrays the life of Christ through sceneries, Piazza dei Cavalieri, Europe’s oldest Botanical Garden and a lot more attractions in this city makes it worth a visit.
Siena
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Nestled upon three hills in the heart of Tuscany, Siena is best preserved prettiest medieval town that offers its well-preserved fresh-looking stunning works of art and architecture from the medieval era. one of the great Piazzas of Italy Piazza del Campo is the heart of the city and the town holds its famous medieval summer horse racing tradition, known as Il Palio.
Siena’s Gothic town hall building Palazzo Pubblico, 102 meters tall Italy’s second highest medieval bell tower Torre del Mangia, beautiful square Piazza del Duomo, Siena’s art museum Pinacoteca Nazionale that features some of Italy’s greatest paintings of the 13th and 14th centuries, contemporary art gallery Palazzo delle Papesse that holds medieval religious art, charming towns San Gimignano, Pienza, and world famous wine towns Montalcino and Montepulciano and many more.
Milan
Almost ruined and extensively damaged from profound bombing during the World War II, Milan has since renovated and today it is the primary source of the country’s economy and seems to be one of the Italy’s most fashionable cities and the richest cities in Europe. Milan is nestled in northwest Italy in the Lombardy region, which is around 30 miles south of the Alps. Milan is a paradise for fashion lovers who can find world-class quality clothing, footwear, and other accessories.
Milan has survived with world famous treasures including one of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral and Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, the La Scala Opera House, the Castello Sforzesco. There are also many other attractions including National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Milan’s most prestigious art gallery Pinacoteca di Brera that has housed a vast collection of more than 600 works, a museum complex Castello Sforzesco, a huge glass-roofed shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II lined with classy bars, shops, and restaurants.
Naples
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The capital of the Campania region in Southern Italy Naples is one of the busiest metropolitan cities. The city is widely visited for incredible art works and historic sites and a vibrant atmosphere of bars, shops, restaurants and nightlife venues. Famous favorite Italian foods originated from this place includes pizza, spaghetti and parmigiana.
There are huge list of things worth a visit including Naples’ well-known port with the Egg Castle Castel dell’Ovo, which is now the Museum of Prehistory; Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte that houses the Farnese, Burgia, and Borbon collections with primarily Renaissance and Baroque Italian painting; A Carthusian monastery Certosa di San Martino, which today is the Museum of City History; Medieval catacombs Catacombe di San Gennaro; The New Jesuite Church Piazza del Gesù and Piazza S.Domenico Maggiore; the biggest roman architectural museum in the World Museo Archeologico Nazionale that features wall paintings and different objects removed from Herculaneum, Pompeii, and other excavation sites; Naples’ main square Piazza del Plebiscito; Naples’ famous opera house Teatro San Carlo; A church and a picture gallery Pio Monte della Misericordia; An artificial cave underneath Posillipo Grotta di Seiano; Pinacoteca della Accademia di Belle Arte that houses 19th Century Italian painting and many more in the list.
Lucca
A top city to visit in Tuscany Lucca, a short train ride from Florence, is the perfectly preserved treasure trove of medieval architecture and grad buildings, cobblestoned streets, elaborate churches and graceful palaces, and a ring of Renaissance-era fortification walls and many more. Everything in the city seems to be the living testimony that displays different layers of history, kingdoms and dominions. It is also the birth place of the great composer Giacomo Puccini.
The city holds enormous tourists attractions including the large square San Michele Church, Lucca’s cathedral San Martino Cathderal, The amphitheatre Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, Church and Baptistery of San Giovanni and Reparata, a main shopping street in the historic center Via Fillungo and Torre delle Ore, Villa Giunigi National Museum, the famous opera composer Puccini’s Puccini House Museum, Lucca’s botanic garden Botanic Garden, Duomo of San Martino, Villa Giunigi National Museum and Guinigi Tower.
Cinque Terre
With the meaning Five Lands, Cinque Terre Lands is comprised of the five picturesque villages â€" of Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Monterosso, Manarola, and Corniglia along the coast encircled by olive groves, vineyards, and woods. These villages today are enlisted on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Laying in Italy’s northwestern coastal region of Liguria, Cinque Terre offers the hundreds years old incredibly beautiful landscapes, cliff sides and wine terraces. Riomaggiore features a medieval castle and the active main street of Via Colombo, Manarola is popular for colorful boats, swimming holes and caves, Vernazza that is surrounded by beautiful olive groves offers a sparkling nightlife scene, Monterossa has beautiful beach lined with resorts and Corniglia is festooned by sloping vineyards. Wonderful view of these villages, natural sceneries and green hills and the Cinque Terre National Park make the place one of the most popular tourist destinations.
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