Italy for First Timers

Every place below is pinned on the interactive map with its exact location. You can browse it for free, and copy the whole map into your own Ikuzo account to adapt it to your trip.

Rome

Colosseum

Rome's iconic amphitheater where gladiators once fought, the symbol of the city. Book a timed entry ticket online well in advance and go early morning to beat the crowds.

Roman Forum

The heart of ancient Rome, a sprawling field of temples and ruins next to the Colosseum. A combined ticket covers the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill.

Pantheon

A 2000 year old Roman temple with the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome, still in use as a church. Entry now requires a small ticket, weekday mornings are quietest.

Trevi Fountain

Rome's most famous baroque fountain. Toss a coin over your left shoulder to guarantee a return to Rome, and come at sunrise if you want it without the crowds.

Spanish Steps

Monumental staircase linking Piazza di Spagna with the Trinita dei Monti church, a classic meeting point. Note that sitting on the steps is now forbidden and fined.

Piazza Navona

Rome's most beautiful baroque square, built over an ancient stadium, with Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers at its center. Lovely for an evening stroll, but skip the pricey terrace cafes.

Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel

Immense papal art collection ending in the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's ceiling. Book skip the line tickets weeks ahead, and remember it is closed most Sundays.

St. Peter's Basilica

The largest church in the world, free to enter. Climb the dome for the best view in Rome and dress with shoulders and knees covered.

Castel Sant'Angelo

Hadrian's mausoleum turned papal fortress on the Tiber. The rooftop terrace has a superb view of St. Peter's, and the bridge in front is lined with Bernini angels.

Trastevere

Rome's cobbled, ivy covered neighborhood across the Tiber and the best area for dinner. Come in the evening, wander without a plan and eat where the locals queue.

Florence & Tuscany

Florence Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore)

Florence's cathedral crowned by Brunelleschi's famous red dome. Entry to the church is free but the dome climb needs a timed ticket, reserve it days ahead.

Uffizi Gallery

One of the world's great museums, home to Botticelli's Birth of Venus and the best of the Renaissance. Timed tickets are essential, book online before your trip.

Ponte Vecchio

Florence's medieval bridge lined with goldsmith shops, the only bridge spared in WWII. Best photographed from the neighboring Ponte Santa Trinita at sunset.

Piazzale Michelangelo

Hilltop terrace with the classic postcard panorama over Florence. It is a 20 minute walk up from the river, time it for sunset.

Galleria dell'Accademia (David)

Home of Michelangelo's David. The museum is small so an hour is enough, but book a timed ticket or the queue can eat your whole morning.

Piazza del Campo (Siena)

Siena's shell shaped main square, one of the finest medieval piazzas in Europe and stage of the Palio horse race. Climb the Torre del Mangia for the view.

San Gimignano

Tuscan hill town bristling with medieval towers, a small Manhattan of the Middle Ages. Easy half day trip from Florence or Siena, try the award winning gelato on the main square.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

The famously tilted bell tower on Pisa's Piazza dei Miracoli. Climbing it requires a timed ticket, but the square and cathedral are worth the stop even without the climb.

Venice & North East

St. Mark's Square & Basilica

Venice's glittering Byzantine basilica on its grand main square, covered in golden mosaics. Lines are long, book the cheap timed entry online and cover shoulders and knees.

Doge's Palace

Gothic palace of the Venetian rulers, connected to the old prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. Buy the combined museum ticket online to skip the line.

Rialto Bridge

Venice's oldest and most famous bridge over the Grand Canal. Come early morning for photos and visit the nearby Rialto food market before it closes at midday.

Burano

Lagoon island of brightly painted fishermen's houses, about 45 minutes from Venice by vaporetto. Combine it with Murano and try the local bussolai butter cookies.

Arena di Verona

Roman amphitheater older than the Colosseum and still hosting a famous summer opera festival. Verona with Juliet's balcony is an easy stop between Venice and Milan.

Lago di Braies

Emerald alpine lake in the Dolomites, Italy's most photographed mountain scenery. In summer the access road is regulated, arrive before 9 in the morning or book the shuttle.

Milan & Lakes

Duomo di Milano

Milan's colossal Gothic cathedral with a forest of marble spires. The rooftop terraces are the highlight, book the ticket with lift access online.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Italy's most elegant 19th century shopping arcade, right next to the Duomo. Spin your heel on the bull mosaic for good luck and admire the glass dome.

The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano)

Leonardo da Vinci's mural in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Only small groups enter every 15 minutes and tickets sell out weeks ahead, book the moment they are released.

Bellagio (Lake Como)

The pearl of Lake Como, a village of steep lanes and lakefront cafes where the lake's branches meet. Take the slow ferry triangle between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio.

Sirmione & Scaligero Castle (Lake Garda)

Moated 13th century castle guarding the entrance to Sirmione's old town on a narrow Lake Garda peninsula. Walk out to the Grotte di Catullo Roman villa at the tip.

Cinque Terre

Vernazza

Arguably the prettiest of the five Cinque Terre villages, a tiny harbor ringed by colorful houses. The classic view is from the coastal trail toward Monterosso, just above town.

Manarola

Postcard village of pastel houses stacked above a rocky harbor, best at sunset from the Punta Bonfiglio viewpoint. Trains connect all five villages every few minutes.

Monterosso al Mare

The largest Cinque Terre village and the only one with a proper sandy beach. Good base for hiking, the coastal trail to Vernazza takes about two hours.

Naples & South

Pompeii

Roman city frozen in time by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, an easy train ride from Naples or Sorrento. Wear good shoes, bring water and give it at least half a day.

Mount Vesuvius

The volcano that buried Pompeii, still active today. A bus takes you near the top, then it is a 30 minute gravel walk to the crater rim, entry is by timed ticket.

Spaccanapoli (Naples Historic Center)

The arrow straight street slicing through Naples' raucous historic center, the birthplace of pizza. Eat a whole margherita at a classic pizzeria and keep an eye on your phone in the crowds.

Positano

The Amalfi Coast's showpiece, a cascade of pastel houses tumbling down to the beach. Arrive by ferry for the best first view and expect a lot of stairs.

Amalfi

The coast's namesake town with a striking striped cathedral towering over the main square. Handy ferry hub for Positano and Salerno, try a lemon granita, the local lemons are famous.

Blue Grotto (Capri)

Sea cave on Capri glowing an unreal electric blue, entered by tiny rowboat. Rough seas close it often, go in the morning and be prepared to queue.

Sassi di Matera

Ancient cave dwellings carved into a ravine, inhabited for some 9000 years and now a UNESCO site. Stay one night in a cave hotel, the sassi lit up at dusk are unforgettable.

Sicily

Taormina

Sicily's most scenic town, perched between Mount Etna and the sea. Its ancient Greek theater frames the volcano perfectly, come early before the day trippers arrive.

Valley of the Temples (Agrigento)

Ridge of remarkably preserved Greek temples outside Agrigento, among the finest anywhere. Visit late afternoon and stay to see the temples lit at dusk, summer middays are brutal.

Palermo Cathedral

A layer cake of Norman, Arab and Gothic styles in the heart of Palermo. Climb to the rooftops for city views, then dive into the nearby street food markets.