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Cupola del Brunelleschi
When Michelangelo went to work on St Peters in Rome, he reportedly said: I go to build a greater dome, but not a fairer one. One of the finest masterpieces of the Renaissance, the cupola crowning the Duomo is a feat of engineering and one that cannot be fully appreciated without cl
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Area Archeologica di Tharros
The choppy blue waters of the Golfo di Oristano provide a magnificent backdrop to the ruins of ancient Tharros. Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, the city thrived as a Carthaginian naval base and was later taken over by the Romans. Much of what you see today dates t
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Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
One of Romes great unheralded museums, this is a fabulous treasure trove of classical art. The ground and 1st floors are devoted to sculpture with some breathtaking pieces – check out the Pugile (Boxer), a 2nd-century-BC Greek bronze; the graceful 2nd-century-BC Ermafrodite dormien
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Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano
For a thousand years this monumental cathedral was the most important church in Christendom. Commissioned by Constantine and consecrated in AD 324, it was the first Christian basilica built in the city and, until the late 14th century, was the pope’s main place of worship. Its stil
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Palazzo Te
Palazzo Te was where Frederico II Gonzaga escaped for love trysts with his mistress Isabella Boschetti, and its decorated in playboy style with stunning frescoes, playful motifs and encoded symbols. A Renaissance pleasure-dome, it is the finest work of star architect Giulio Romano,
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Ruins of Pompeii
The ghostly ruins of ancient Pompeii (Pompei in Italian) make for one of the worlds most engrossing archaeological experiences. Much of the sites value lies in the fact that the town wasnt simply blown away by Vesuvius in AD 79 but buried under a layer of lapilli (burning fragments
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Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
One of Romes four patriarchal basilicas, this monumental 5th-century church stands on the summit of the Esquiline Hill, on the spot where snow is said to have miraculously fallen in the summer of AD 358. Much altered over the centuries, its something of an architectural hybrid with
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Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte
Originally designed as a hunting lodge for Charles VII of Bourbon, this monumental palace was begun in 1738 and took more than a century to complete. Its now home to the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte , southern Italys largest and richest art gallery. Its vast collection – much of
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Nuraghe Su Nuraxi
In the heart of the voluptuous green countryside near Barumini, the Nuraghe Su Nuraxi is Sardinia’s sole World Heritage site and the island’s most visited nuraghe . The focal point is the 1500 BC tower, which originally stood on its own but was later incorporated into a fortified c
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Museo Archeologico Regionale Eoliano
A must-see for Mediterranean history buffs, Liparis archaeological museum boasts one of Europes finest collections of ancient finds. Especially worthwhile are the Sezione Preistorica, devoted to locally discovered artefacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the Greco-Roman era,
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Cappella Palatina
This priceless jewel of a chapel, designed by Roger II in 1130, is Palermos top tourist attraction. On the mid-level of Palazzo dei Normannis three-tiered loggia, it glitters with stunning gold mosaics, its aesthetic harmony further enhanced by the inlaid marble floors and wooden m
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Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute
Guarding the entrance to the Grand Canal, this 17th-century domed church was commissioned by Venice’s plague survivors as thanks for salvation. Baldassare Longhenas uplifting design is an engineering feat that defies simple logic; in fact the church is said to have mystical curativ
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Cappella Sansevero
Its in this Masonic-inspired baroque chapel that youll find Giuseppe Sanmartinos incredible sculpture, Cristo velato (Veiled Christ), its marble veil so realistic that its tempting to try to lift it and view Christ underneath. Its one of several artistic wonders that include France
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Il Vittoriale degli Italiani
Poet, soldier, hypochondriac and proto-Fascist, Gabriele dAnnunzio (1863–1938) defies easy definition, and so does his estate. Bombastic, extravagant and unsettling, its home to every architectural and decorative excess imaginable and is full of quirks that help shed light on the m
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Santuario della Verna
This remote Franciscan monastic complex is where St Francis of Assisi is said to have received the stigmata and is a major pilgrimage destination. The Corridoio delle Stimmate , decorated with modern frescoes recounting St Francis life, leads to the Cappella delle Stimmate , built
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Leaning Tower
One of Italys signature sights, the Torre Pendente truly lives up to its name, leaning a startling 3.9 degrees off the vertical. The 56m-high tower, officially the Duomos campanile (bell tower), took almost 200 years to build, but was already listing when it was unveiled in 1372. O
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Collegiata
Parts of San Gimignanos Romanesque cathedral were built in the second half of the 11th century, but its remarkably vivid frescoes, depicting episodes from the Old and New Testaments, date from the 14th century. Look out too for the Cappella di Santa Fina, near the main altar – a Re
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Castello Aragonese
Guarding the swing bridge that joins the old and new parts of town, this impressive 15th-century structure was once a prison and is currently occupied by the Italian navy, which has restored it. Multilingual and free guided tours are led by naval officers throughout the day. Opposi
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Peggy Guggenheim Collection
After losing her father on the Titanic, heiress Peggy Guggenheim became one of the great collectors of the 20th century. Her palatial canalside home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, showcases her stockpile of surrealist, futurist and abstract expressionist art with works by up to 200 art
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Santuario & Basilica di Nostra Signora di Bonaria
Crowning the Bonaria hill, around 1km southeast of Via Roma, is this hugely popular pilgrimage site. Devotees come from all over the world to pray to Nostra Signora di Bonaria, a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary and Christ, kept in a niche behind the altar, which is said to have sa
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