While the original basilica started in 1468 was Gothic, Renaissance additions (including some savvy engineering by Bramante) have made today’s imposing Basilica della Santa Casa an architectural masterpiece. Inside, gold-leafed halos, impressive frescoes and religious triptychs create viewing opportunities worth braving the schlock shops. Plus, whether you’ve sinned in Italian, English, Japanese or German, you’re in luck: in addition to several daily masses, visitors can take advantage of multilingual confessionals throughout the day.
