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Parco dei Mostri
At Bomarzo, 17km northeast of Viterbo, is a 16th-century pocket of weirdness that will entertain children and adults alike, the Parco dei Mostri . The gardens of the Palazzo Orsini is peopled by ancient gigantic sculptures, including an ogre, giant and a dragon. From Viterbo, catch
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Parco Aymerich
Continue past the saint’s house on Via Sant’Ignazio and take the first left to reach this smashing 22-hectare park. Among the exotic trees (including an impressive cedar of Lebanon and several eucalyptuses), springs, lakes and grottoes, you’ll find the remains of an 11th-century ca
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Chiesa di Santa Maria Presso di San Satiro
Here’s an escape from the Zara/Benneton/H&M maelstrom. Ludovico Sforza saw potential in this little church built on top of the 9th-century mausoleum of martyr San Satiro, and asked architect Donato Bramante to refurbish it in 1482. His ambition wasn’t dampened by the project’s
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Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie
The most impressive of San Marco d Alunzios churches is the Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie, where theres a Domenico Gagini statue of the Madonna con bambino e San Giovanni (Madonna with Child and St John) from 1481.
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Castel Roncolo
This stunningly located castle was built in 1237 but is renowned for its 14th-century frescoes. These are particularly rare, with themes that are drawn from secular literature, including the tale of Tristan and Isolde, as well as depictions of day-to-day courtly life. In summer a f
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Rocca Albornoziana
Rising high and mighty on a hilltop above Spoleto, the Rocca, a glowering 14th-century former papal fortress, is now a fast, scenic escalator ride from Via della Ponzianina. The fortress contains the Museo Nazionale del Ducato , which traces the history of the Spoleto duchy through
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Porta Magna
Capped by the lion of St Mark, the Arsenale’s land gate is considered by many to be the earliest example of Renaissance architecture in Venice; it was probably executed in 1460. A plaque was installed commemorating the 1571 victory at Lepanto, and at the foot of the gate is a row o
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Piazza del Quirinale
A wonderful spot to enjoy a glowing Roman sunset, this piazza marks the summit of the Quirinale hill. The central obelisk was moved here from the Mausoleo di Augusto in 1786 and is flanked by 5.5m statues of Castor and Pollux reining in a couple of rearing horses.If you’re in the n
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Ruins
The ruins , topped by a tower visible for miles around, are not in great nick but merit a quick look if you’re passing through.
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Museo dArte Siamese
Cagliari’s medieval heart is an unlikely place for a collection of Asian art, but that’s exactly what you find here. Donated to the city by local engineer Stefano Cardu, who had spent many years in Thailand, the collection is highly eclectic. Alongside Ming- and Qing-era Chinese po
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Piazza Monte Grappa
Piazza Monte Grappa, on the cusp of the old town, is fascinating for history and architecture buffs. The square was completely remade in grand Fascist fashion in 1935. Most extraordinary is the Torre Civica , an enormous and somehow menacing clock tower; at the base flowers an aren
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Grotta di Sa Oche & Su Bèntu
Hidden deep in the Valle di Lanaittu is the must-see Grotta Sa Oche & Su Ventu, two caves linked by a natural siphon. The former is a wild and enchanting cave named ‘Cave of the Voice’ after the water that gurgles in its secret underground caverns; the latter has some wonderful
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Greek Ruins
Youd never know it to look at it, but Giardini-Naxos is the oldest Greek settlement in Sicily; its origins date to 735 BC. You can visit the rather scant remains of the original settlement – a 300m stretch of wall, a small temple and a couple of other structures – at the southern e
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Chiesa di San Marziale
The whitewashed Venetian facade of this church is impressive not for its exterior ornament – there isn’t much to speak of – but because of how its dramatic shape looks reflected in the canal. Inside, the interiors are surprisingly lavish, with a delightful Sebastiano Ricci image of
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Abbazia della Cervara
Abbazia della Cervara was built in 1361 and is surrounded by formal gardens. Over the centuries, the abbey has hosted Benedictine monks, three popes and a saint (Catherine of Siena), and the French king, François I, who spent a less convivial time here as a prisoner after the 1525
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Rocca
Perched on the summit of Monte Ricco and looking down on central Asolo are the hulking ruins of a fortress dating back to the 12th- to early 13th-centuries. The still-visible cistern well was constructed between the 13th- and 14th centuries, while the heavily restored buttresses of
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La Pietà
Originally called Chiesa di Santa Maria della Visitazione but fondly nicknamed La Pietà, this harmonious church designed by Giorgio Massari is known for its association with the composer Vivaldi, who was concertmaster here in the early 18th century. Though the current church was bu
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Il Vallone dei Mulino
Just behind Piazza Tasso, a stunning natural phenomenon is on view from Via Fuorimura. Il Vallone dei Mulino is a deep mountain cleft that dates from a volcanic eruption 35,000 years ago. Sorrento was once bounded by three gorges, but today this is the only one that remains. The va
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Arena Sferisterio
One of Europe’s most stunning outdoor theatres is the neoclassical Arena Sferisterio, a grand colonnaded affair resembling an ancient Roman arena, which was built between 1820 and 1829. Its acoustics are second to none. From mid-July to mid-August its the backdrop for the Macerata
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Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito in Saxia
Originally an 8th-century lodging for Saxon pilgrims, this ancient hospital complex was established by Pope Innocent III in the late 12th century. Three hundred years later Sixtus IV added an octagonal courtyard and two vast frescoed halls, known collectively as the Corsia Sistina
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