3 destinations · 84 things to do
Italy
From Florence to Rome to Venice: the sights worth booking ahead, and where to stay.
Cities in Italy
Churches & cathedrals in Italy
Everywhere
FlorenceFlorence Cathedral & Brunelleschi’s Dome
Florence's soaring cathedral, crowned by Brunelleschi's revolutionary dome — climb its 463 steps for the city's best view, ascend Giotto's bell tower, and see Ghiberti's golden Baptistery doors.
RomeSt Peter's Basilica & Dome
The mother church of Catholicism — Michelangelo's dome, Bernini's bronze canopy and colonnade, and the Pietà — free to enter after security.
VeniceSt Mark's Basilica
Venice's golden church — domes of Byzantine mosaics, the jewelled Pala d'Oro, and the bronze horses that once crowned the facade.
Day trips in Italy
Everywhere
FlorenceSiena & San Gimignano Day Trip
Tuscany's two medieval rivals in one day — Siena's shell-shaped Campo and striped Duomo, San Gimignano's fourteen towers over vineyard hills, with Chianti or Monteriggioni between: the day trip that completes Florence.
VeniceMurano and Burano Islands
The lagoon's two famous islands in one day — Murano's glass furnaces and glass museum, then Burano's rainbow-painted fishermen's houses and lace.
Castles & palaces in Italy
Everywhere
FlorencePalazzo Vecchio
Florence's fortress-like town hall on the Piazza della Signoria — the grand Salone dei Cinquecento with its Vasari frescoes, Medici apartments, secret passages, and a tower climb with sweeping views.
VeniceDoge's Palace
The pink-and-white Gothic palace where the Venetian Republic ruled for centuries — golden council chambers, Tintoretto's colossal Paradise, the prisons and the Bridge of Sighs.