Perched on a volcanic hillside above the Ionian Sea, the Castello di San Marco commands a view that stretches from the Bay of Calatabiano to the smoking summit of Mount Etna. This medieval fortress bears the scars of centuries: Norman foundations, Aragonese additions, and the quiet patience of stone that has outlasted every dynasty that […]
Categories: Castles and Palaces, Islands, Italy, Nature, Religious Monuments, Sicily, Sights, Sights
Fourteen stone towers cut a jagged silhouette against the Tuscan sky, their medieval pinnacles rising like fingers reaching for heaven. From the ramparts of Rocca di Montestaffoli, vineyards stretch in every direction, geometric rows of Sangiovese vines fading into a golden haze. The cobbled Via San Giovanni climbs past stone houses that lean inward, their […]
Categories: Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
Gold covers nearly every surface inside Monreale Cathedral. Six thousand four hundred square metres of Byzantine mosaics tell stories from the Old and New Testaments. The figures stare down from the walls with enormous eyes, their robes shimmering in the dim light. King William II built this cathedral in the twelfth century to outshine the […]
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Religious Monuments, Sicily, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
Few churches in Rome hide their masterpiece quite so unassumingly. San Pietro in Vincoli sits on the Esquiline Hill, its simple brick facade giving no hint of the artistic treasure waiting inside. Visitors come for one thing: Michelangelo’s Moses, carved from a single block of Carrara marble. The prophet sits with horns on his head, […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Rome, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
Five centuries of construction produced one of the most extraordinary buildings on earth. Milan’s Duomo is a mountain of white marble covered in 135 spires and more than 3,400 statues. From the rooftop terraces you can walk among the pinnacles, coming face to face with saints and gargoyles carved in exquisite detail. The interior is […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
Who wouldn’t want to go to a coastal town with the moniker City of Flowers? It sounds like a fragrant dream waiting to be experienced and taken in by
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights
The red-tiled dome of Florence Cathedral dominates the skyline of the Tuscan capital, a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering that has inspired architects and artists for over 500 years. The cathedral, formally named the basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, was begun in 1296 by Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the topping […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights, Sights
The Piazza del Popolo opens before you, a vast oval of cobblestones framed by twin Baroque churches and dominated by the 3,600-year-old Egyptian obelisk at its centre. On the northern edge of this square, tucked against the ancient Aurelian Wall, stands the church of Santa Maria del Popolo. From the outside it appears modest, a […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Rome, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome – one of the four papal basilicas | Italy Updated: August 15, 2020 | By Claire | More Architecture and Interior Splendour The basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore impresses every visitor from the moment they step through its ancient wooden doors into the soaring interior. The design follows […]
Categories: Cities, Italy, Religious Monuments, Rome, Sights, Sights
The San Remo Music Festival (Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo) is Italy’s most important musical event, the legendary annual song contest held at the Teatro Ariston on the Ligurian Riviera that launched the careers of Italy’s greatest performers, inspired the creation of the Eurovision Song Contest, and remains the most-watched television event in Italy […]
Categories: Amusement and Theme Parks, Italy, Religious Monuments, Sights