Among the Italian jewels recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of Europe's great spa towns, Montecatini Terme, in the heart of Tuscany, surrounded by art cities such as Florence, Pisa and Lucca. Beautiful and easy to get to. Montecatini Terme is a garden city set in the picturesque Valdinievole, an amphitheatre of green hills in the hea...

The Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia, inserted onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004, constitute a unique and exceptional testimoney of the ancient Etruscan Civilization, the only urban civilization of the pre-Roman Age. The frescoes inside the tombs – true-to-life reproductions of Etruscan homes – are faithful depictions of this disap...

Tucked between plain and hills and surrounded by the Alpine Mountains, Turin is one of the most beautiful of Italy's cities, as well as one of the most important economic centers in the country. For centuries the heart of the Kingdom of Savoy, Turin was the theatre, the engine of Italian unification and was, initially, the Capital of the Kingdom of...

Genoa’s historic center - Ancient Italian Marine Republic and today Capital of Liguria - is the seat of splendid artistic and architectural treasures. Splendid artistic and architectural treasures. The Site includes the Strade Nuove (“New Roads”), where stand the magnificent “Palazzi dei Rolli,” a series of noble abodes in the Renaissance and Baroq...

For travelers in search of the opportunity to relax by the sea - yet still partake in an active cultural and social scene - a trip to the lovely islands of the Bay of Naples is definitely one for the bucket list: we’re talking about Procida, Ischia and Capri. A long weekend is ideal for enjoying the beauties on display on these three islands and fo...

Visiting the catacombs means undertaking a journey through subterranean Rome, where one can discover the gallery of tunnels in which first the pagans, then Christians buried their dead. Fascinating places that narrate ancient Roman customs and traditions, more than 60 catacombs and thousands of tombs exist in and around Rome. Additionally, there we...

"Ivrea Industrial City of the Twentieth Century" is the 54th Italian UNESCO site. The recognition was deliberated during the work of the 42nd World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. An important recognition for a positive idea (the possible "humanization" of industrial and social transformat...

Christmas markets, light shows and old traditions: all across Italy there are many events planned for the Christmas and New Year period: here we have chosen the most interesting suggestions for you. The very first traditional Christmas markets date back to around the 14th century in Germany and Alsace and then spread along the Alps, including Italy...

Noto is a petite, Sicilian Baroque gem, splendidly set within a rocky plateau and overlooking the Asinaro Valley. An important hub during all its phases – i.e. Sicilian, Roman, Byzantine, and Arab – it met destruction with the earthquake of 1693, at the height of its original splendor. Yet Noto found a second life in its reconstruction, and became...

If we had to retrace the trip to Italy in the footsteps of the legendary XVII-century Grand Tour, we should take a long journey full of charming stopovers anywhere in the country. After retracing the best historical and cultural places in northern and central Italy, we now resume our journey and go south: must-do stops of our modern cultural grand...