Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor Emmanuel II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito Mussolini established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy’s defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
Italy Tourism Information
Official Tourism Site
Other Sites
The Best of Italy
Here is a break down of some of the most interesting and visited places. Cities or areas listed will always have more than just one thing see and do. With the popular cities or areas we list some of the best known, which should go on everyone’s, must see list when they visit.
Abruzzo
Aosta Valley
APulia
Lecce
Calabria
Campania
Amalfi Coast
Sorrento
Pompeii
Isle of Capri (Blue Grotto)
Royal Palace of Caserta
Isle of Capri
Herculaneum
Ischia
Positano
Salerno
Paestum
Basilicata
Sassi di Matera
Emilio-Romagna
Bologna (Two Towers)
Modena
Parma
Ravenna
Florence
Florence Duomo
Uffizi Gallery
Ponte Vecchio
Galleria dell’Accademia (Michelangelo’s David)
Plazzo Vecchio
Basilica Santa Croce
Pitti Palace
Piazzale Michelangelo
Boboli Gardens
Piazza della Signoria
Santa Maria Novella
Florence Baptistery
Mercato Centrale
Giotto’s Bell Tower
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Trieste
Lazio
Civita di Bagnoregio
Hadrian’s Villa
Ostia Antica
Villa d’Est
Liguria
Cinque Terra
Genoa
Portofino
Lombardy
Bergamo
Lake Como ( Villa d’Este, Ballagio, Villa Carlotta)
Marche
Urbino
Molise
Milan
Duomo di Milano
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Castello Sforzesco
Teatro alla Scala
Pinacoteca di Brera
Parco Sempione
naples
Naples National Archaeological Museum
Royal Palace of Naples
Castel Nuovo
Mount Vesuvius
Ovo Castle
Piedmont
Turin (Egyptian museum, Mole Antonelliana)
Lake Maggiore
Lake Orta
Rome
Colosseum
Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
Roman Forum
Spanish Steps
Piazza Novona
Castel Sant’Angleo
Borghese Gallery
Victor Emmanuel II Monument
Palatine Hill
Campo de’ Fiori
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore,
Piazza del Popolo
Capitoline Museums
Baths of Caarcalla
Circus Maximus
Arch of Constantine
Capitoline Hill
Villa Borghese
Appia Antica
Arch of Titus
Via del Corso
Trajan’s Column & Market
Largo di Torre Argentina
Via Francigena
Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
Sardinia
Cagliari
sicily
Catania
Mount Etna
Palermo
Palermo
Syracuse
Valley of the Temples
Venice
Rialto Bridge
Piazza San Marcos
Doge’s Palace
Basilica San Marcos
Grand Canal
Bridge of Sighs
Burano
Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Murano
Santa Maria della Salute
St Mark’s Campanile
Galleria dell’Accademia
Trentino-South Tyrol
Bolzano
Stelvio Pass
Tuscany
Arezzo
Lucca (Torre Guinigi, Piazza dell’Anfiteatro)
Pisa ( Leaning Tower, Cattedrale di Pisa, Pisa Baptistery )
Siena ( Piazza del Campo, Duomo di Siena, Palazzo Pubblico)
San Gimignano
Terme di Saturnia
Umbria
Assisi
Orvieto
Spoleto
Veneto
Cortina d’Ampezzo
Lake Garda
The Dolomites
Padua
Verona (Verona, Arena, Juliet’s House, Piazza Bra)
The Regions of Italy…
Central Italy
Abruzzo
- Provinces:
- Chieti, L’Aquila, Pescara, Teramo
- Cities:
- Chieti, L’Aquila, Pescara, Teramo
- Towns:
- Lanciano, Ortona, Sulmona
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- National Park of Majella
Lazio
- Provinces:
- Frosinone, Latinia, Rieti, Rome, Viterbo
- Cities:
- Anzio, Civitavecchia, Aprilla, Latina, Rieti, Rome – For more detailed information go to our ➾ Rome web page.
- Towns:
- Cassino, Tivoli
- Villages:
- Civita di Bagnoregio
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Roman Forum, Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Palatine Hill, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Civita di Bagnoregio, Carcalla Baths, Pantheon, Villa Borghese, Piazza Novano
Marche
- Provinces:
- Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, Pesaro & Urbino
- Cities:
- Ancona, Fano, Pesaro
- Towns:
- Ascoli Piceno, Fermo, Macerata, Urbino
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Palazzo Ducale
Tuscany
- Provinces:
- Arrezo, Florence, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa & Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato, Siena
- Cities:
- Arrezo, Florence – For more detailed information go to our Florence web page., Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa, Pisa, Pistoia, Siena, Volterra
- Towns:
- Cortona, Montealcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, San Gimignano, Volterra
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Siena Cathedral, Piazza del Campo, Duomo-Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria dell’Accademia , Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi Gallery, Basilica Santa Croce, Palazzo Pitti & Boboli Gardino, Chianti wine region, Val d’Orcia, Termi di Saturnia, Piazza dei Miracoli
Umbria
- Provinces:
- Perugia, Termi
- Cities:
- Perugia, Foligno
- Towns:
- Assisi, Bastia Umbra, Città di Castello, Orvieto, Spoleto
- Villages:
- Amelia, Narni, San Gemini
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Basilica Papale San Francesco d’Assisi
Northeast Italy
Emilia – Romagna
- Provinces:
- Bologna, Ferrara, Forli-Cesena, Modena, Parma, Placenza, Ravenna, Reggio nell’Emilia, Rimini
- Cities:
- Bologna, Capri, Cesena, Ferrara, Forli, Modena, Parma, Placenza, Ravenna, Reggio nell’Emilia, Rimini
- Towns:
- Casalecchio di Reno, Cento, Faenza, Imola, Riccione, Sassuolo,
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Basilica San Vitale
Friuli – Venezia Giulia
- Provinces:
- Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste, Udine
- Cities:
- Gorizia, Pordenone, Trieste, Udine
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Aquileia ruins, Miramare Castle
Trentino – Alto Adige
- Provinces:
- Trentino, South Tyrol
- Cities:
- Balzoano, Trento
- Towns:
- Merano
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Veneto
- Provinces:
- Belluno, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona, Vicenza
- Cities:
- Belluno, Mestre, Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice-For more detailed information go to our Venice page, , Verona, Vicenza
- Towns:
- Bassano del Grappa, Chioggia, Este, Montagnana, San Donà di Piave, Schio
- Villages:
- Cortina d’Ampezzo, Burano, Murano
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- St. Mark’s Basilica, Doges Palace, St. Mark’s Square, The Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, St. Mark’s Campanille, Lake Garda, Santa Maria della Salute, Prato della Valle, Verona Arena, House of Juliet, Porta Borsari, Dolomite mountains
Northwest Italy
Aosta Valley
- Cities:
- Aosta
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Piedmont
- Provinces:
- Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Turin, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vercelli
- Cities:
- Alessandria, Asti, Cuneo, Moncalieri, Novara, Turin
- Towns:
- Biella, Collegno, Rivoli, Nichelino, Settimo Torinese, Vercelli
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Palazzina di caccia of Stupinigi, Lake Maggiore
Liguria
- Provinces:
- Genoa, Imperia, La Spezia, Savona
- Cities:
- Genoa, Imperia, La Spezia, Sanremo, Savona
- Towns:
- Levanto, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure
- Villages:
- Corniglia, Manarola, Montarossa al Mare, Riomaggiore, Vernazza
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Cinque Terra, Doge’s Palace, Royal Palace of Genoa
Lombardy
- Provinces:
- Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua, Milan, Monza & Brianza, Pavia, Sondrio, Varese
- Cities:
- Bergamo, Brescia, Busto Arsizio, Cinisello Balsamo, Como, Cremona, Milan-For ore detailed information go to our Milan web page, Monza, Pavia, Sesto San Giovanni, Varese
- Towns:
- Cologno Monzese, Lecco, Lissone, Mantua, Paderno Dugnano
- Villages
- Bellagio
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Milan Cathedral, Castello Sforzesco, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, La Scala Opera House, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Lake Como, Certosa di Pavia , Lake Garda, Lake Iseo, Lake Maggiore
Southern Italy
Apulia
- Provinces:
- Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto
- Cities:
- Andria, Bari, Barletta, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, Taranto
- Towns:
- Bisceglie, Cerignola, Manfredonia, Martina Franca, Molfetta, San Severo, Trani
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Costa Otranto, Ostuni
Basilicata
- Provinces:
- Matera, Potenza
- Cities:
- Matera, Potenza
- Towns:
- Sassi di Matera
- Villages:
- Maratea, Vaglio Basilicata
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Sassi di Matera, Tavole Palatine
Calabria
- Provinces:
- Catanzaro , Cosenza, Crotone , Reggio Calabria, Vibo-Valentia
- Cities:
- Catanzaro, Cosenza, Corigliano-Rossano ,Crotone, Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calabria
- Towns:
- Acri, Castrovillari , Montalto Uffugo , Rende, Vibo-Valentia
- Villages:
- Badolato, Nicotera , Samo, Scilla
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Campania
- Provinces:
- Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Naples, Salerno
- Cities:
- Avellino, Aversa, Benevento, Caserta, Naples, Salerno, Torre del Greco
- Towns:
- Ischia, Pompei, Sorrento
- Villages:
- Positano, Sant’Agnello
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Isle of Capri, Mt Vesuvius, Paestum, Herculeum, Magna Graecia, Aeclarnum, Palace of Caserta, Isle of Ischia
Molise
- Provinces:
- Campobasso, Isernia
- Cities:
- Campobasso, Isernia
- Towns:
- Termoli
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Monforte Castle
Sardinia
- Provinces:
- Cagliari, Nuoro, Oristano, Sassari, South Sardinia
- Cities:
- Cagliari, Olbia , Quartu Sant’Elena, Sassari
- Towns:
- Alghero, Assemini , Capoterra , Crabònia, Iglesias, Monserrato, Nuoro, Oristano, Porto Torres, Selargius, Sestu
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
Sicily
- Provinces:
- Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa, Trapani
- Cities:
- Caltanissetta, Gela, Marsala, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Syracuse, Trapani
- Towns:
- Villages:
- Others Sights & Attractions:
- Mt. Etna, Valle dei Templi