The Top 50 · 50

Attractions in Italy

The finest attractions in Italy at a glance: castles, natural wonders, historic old towns and more. Each place links to a detailed page with map, tips and photos.

🗺️ See all on the mapCulture & History (23)Nature (14)More highlights (13)

Culture & History

Cinque Terre
Landmark

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, meaning 'Five Lands', is a remarkably rugged portion of the Italian Riviera coastline in the Liguria region.

Learn more →
Pietraperla
Landmark

Pietraperla

Pietraperla is a serene, hidden gem nestled in the picturesque landscapes of the Marche region.

Learn more →
Portofino
Landmark

Portofino

Portofino is an iconic, impossibly picturesque fishing village on the Italian Riviera, renowned as a haven for the wealthy and the jet-set crowd sinc…

Learn more →
Pompeii
Landmark

Pompeii

Pompeii was a vast Roman city located near modern Naples that was buried under volcanic ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuv…

Learn more →
Vatican City
Landmark

Vatican City

Vatican City, entirely enclaved within Rome, is the smallest independent state in the world both by area and population.

Learn more →
Colosseum
Landmark

Colosseum

The Colosseum is an iconic ancient amphitheater situated in the center of Rome, built during the Flavian dynasty.

Learn more →
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Landmark

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa.

Learn more →
Pantheon
Landmark

Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of the best-preserved monuments of ancient Rome and a masterpiece of engineering.

Learn more →
Dolomites
Landmark

Dolomites

The Dolomites are a spectacular limestone mountain range in northern Italy known for their pale cliffs and dramatic spires.

Learn more →
Trevi Fountain
Landmark

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is Rome's most famous fountain and one of the grandest Baroque monuments in the city.

Learn more →
St. Mark's Square
Landmark

St. Mark's Square

St.

Learn more →
Amalfi Coast
Landmark

Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is a dramatic stretch of coastline in Campania famous for its cliffs, pastel towns, and terraced lemon groves.

Learn more →
Piazza del Campo
Landmark

Piazza del Campo

Piazza del Campo is Siena's famous shell-shaped square and the civic heart of the city.

Learn more →
Mole Vanvitelliana
Landmark

Mole Vanvitelliana

The Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona is a massive pentagonal building located in the harbor.

Learn more →
Piazza Grande (Arezzo)
Landmark

Piazza Grande (Arezzo)

Piazza Grande is the central and most famous square in Arezzo.

Learn more →
Martina Franca
Landmark

Martina Franca

Martina Franca is the largest town in the Itria Valley, celebrated for its magnificent Baroque architecture, noble palaces, and famous capocollo ham.

Learn more →
Alberobello
Landmark

Alberobello

Alberobello is world-renowned for its 1,500 trulli, white limestone dwellings with conical roofs that comprise a unique UNESCO World Heritage site.

Learn more →
Piazza Armerina
Landmark

Piazza Armerina

A city of art in the heart of Sicily, world-famous for the Villa Romana del Casale and its exceptionally well-preserved Roman mosaics.

Learn more →
Locorotondo
Landmark

Locorotondo

Locorotondo is a gleaming white hilltop village famous for its circular street layout and unique pointed stone roofs called cummerse.

Learn more →
Marsala
Landmark

Marsala

A historic town in Sicily, famous for its fortified wine, ancient salt pans, and as the landing site of Garibaldi's Thousand.

Learn more →
Mazara del Vallo
Landmark

Mazara del Vallo

A multicultural port city in Sicily, famous for its Arabic quarter Kasbah and the ancient bronze statue of the Dancing Satyr.

Learn more →
Parma Cathedral
Cathedral

Parma Cathedral

Parma Cathedral is a primary example of Romanesque architecture in Northern Italy.

Learn more →
Piazza dei Miracoli
Landmark

Piazza dei Miracoli

The monumental center of Pisa, featuring the cathedral, leaning tower, and baptistery.

Learn more →

Nature

Lake Garda
Lake

Lake Garda

Lake Garda is Italy's largest and most geographically diverse lake, situated gracefully between the Alps and the Po Valley.

Learn more →
Lake Maggiore
Lake

Lake Maggiore

Lake Maggiore is a stunning pre-alpine lake that straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland.

Learn more →
Lake Como
Lake

Lake Como

Lake Como, located in the Lombardy region, is globally renowned for its spectacular, inverted Y-shape and breathtaking alpine scenery.

Learn more →
Abruzzo National Park
Mountain

Abruzzo National Park

The Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park is one of Italy's most vital nature reserves, located in the heart of the Apennine Mountains.

Learn more →
Gran Paradiso National Park
Mountain

Gran Paradiso National Park

Gran Paradiso National Park is Italy's oldest and one of its most stunning national parks, situated in the Graian Alps between the Aosta Valley and P…

Learn more →
Pollino National Park
Mountain

Pollino National Park

Pollino National Park is the largest national park in Italy, sprawling across the southern regions of Basilikata and Calabria.

Learn more →
Mount Vesuvius
Mountain

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is a looming stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples, holding a formidable place in history and geology.

Learn more →
Stromboli
Mountain

Stromboli

Stromboli is a small volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of Sicily, part of the Aeolian archipelago.

Learn more →
Val Grande National Park
Park

Val Grande National Park

This park near Lake Maggiore is known as the largest wilderness area in Italy.

Learn more →
Aspromonte National Park
Park

Aspromonte National Park

The park is located at the southern tip of Calabria.

Learn more →
Circeo National Park
Park

Circeo National Park

Located in the Lazio region, this park protects coastal wetlands and the Circeo forest.

Learn more →
Stelvio National Park
Park

Stelvio National Park

The national park covers vast areas of the Ortler Alps.

Learn more →
Monte Subasio Regional Park
Park

Monte Subasio Regional Park

This park in Umbria surrounds the Monte Subasio.

Learn more →
Lake Trasimeno
Lake

Lake Trasimeno

The lake in the Umbria region is the fourth largest inland body of water in Italy.

Learn more →

More highlights

Assisi
historical

Assisi

Assisi is a serene and profoundly spiritual hill town in the Umbria region of central Italy.

Learn more →
Herculaneum
historical

Herculaneum

Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town of immense wealth that shared the tragic fate of Pompeii when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

Learn more →
Monte Cassino Abbey
historical

Monte Cassino Abbey

Monte Cassino is a rocky hill situated about 130 kilometers southeast of Rome, famed as the site of the first house of the Benedictine Order.

Learn more →
Orvieto
historical

Orvieto

Orvieto is a striking medieval city in Umbria, spectacularly perched atop a steep, flat-topped cliff of volcanic tuff.

Learn more →
Ostia Antica
historical

Ostia Antica

Ostia Antica was a vital harbor city of ancient Rome, situated at the mouth of the River Tiber on the Tyrrhenian coast.

Learn more →
San Gimignano
historical

San Gimignano

San Gimignano is a highly distinctive small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany.

Learn more →
Siena
historical

Siena

Siena is a stunning medieval city in the heart of Tuscany, distinguished by its medieval brick buildings and its fan-shaped central square, the Piazz…

Learn more →
Matera Sassi
historical

Matera Sassi

The Sassi di Matera are ancient cave dwellings carved directly into the calcareous rock of the Gravina gorge in the Basilicata region.

Learn more →
Castel del Monte
historical

Castel del Monte

Castel del Monte is a 13th-century fortress in Apulia known for its exact octagonal plan and striking geometric design.

Learn more →
Royal Palace of Caserta
historical

Royal Palace of Caserta

The Royal Palace of Caserta is a monumental Bourbon palace near Naples, created to rival the grandeur of Versailles.

Learn more →
Castel Sant'Angelo
historical

Castel Sant'Angelo

Castel Sant'Angelo began as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian and later became a papal fortress in Rome.

Learn more →
Doge's Palace
historical

Doge's Palace

The Doge's Palace is the former seat of Venetian power, standing beside St.

Learn more →
Palazzo Vecchio
historical

Palazzo Vecchio

Palazzo Vecchio is Florence's medieval town hall and one of the city's strongest symbols of civic power.

Learn more →

Frequently asked questions

What are the top attractions in Italy?

Among the most popular are Cinque Terre, Pietraperla, Portofino, Pompeii, Vatican City and many more – the full top 50 list is on this page.

When is the best time to visit Italy?

May to October offers the most pleasant weather; July and August are warmest and busiest.