37 Monuments to Explore in Italy

The Nuragic complex of Palmavera is an archaeological site located in the municipality of Alghero. It is classified as a "complex" nuraghe, ie made up of several towers joined together. The village was probably destroyed by fire at the end of the eighth century BC and was subsequently sporadically frequented in the Punic and Roman times, as evidenced by some ceramics found. The hills surrounding the site were defended by single-tower nuraghi, some of which are still in good condition today.

The oratory of San Giovanni Battista, Sant'Antonio Abate and San Giacomo Apostolo is located in Urbino in via Barocci , under the Albornoz fortress, and is one of the main city monuments. The external façade underwent a radical restoration in the neo - Gothic style at the beginning of the 20th century, based on a project by Diomede Catalucci.

The Ara Pacis is, at its simplest, an open-air altar for blood sacrifice associated with the Roman state religion. This monument made in marble celebrates the peace in the Mediterranean area established by the emperor after his victorious campaigns in Hispania and Gaul. This is a splendid monument dedicated to the peace and prosperity that the reign of Emperor Caesar Augustus had brought to Rome.

Palazzo Lanfranchi is the greatest monument that represents the seventeenth - century period in Matera. In front of the door is the sculpture "The Drop" by Kengiro Azuma. The palace has undergone many renovations and has housed the Museo Della Grafica since 2007. The Museum houses the collection of the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe dell’Università di Pisa; initially curated in 1957 by Carlo Ludovico Ragghianti.

The Roman Pantheon is the monument with the greatest number of records: the best preserved, with the biggest brick dome in the history of architecture, and is considered the forerunner of all modern places of worship. It is the most copied and imitated of all ancient works. It was built in 27-25 BC by the magistrate Marcus Agrippa in order to commemorate the victory over Mark Antony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium. Later this original temple was burned down in 80 AD. It was then completely

The Montagnola garden is one of the oldest and most central green areas in the city of Bologna, which opened for the first time in the 17th century. In the garden of the Montagnola the bodies of Luigi Zamboni and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis were solemnly buried on the direct order of Napoleon, who in 1794 led an attempted revolt to Bologna during which Italian tricolor cockades were used; in 1799, with the arrival of the Austrians, the bodies were dispersed.

The Pio Monte Della Misericordia is a monumental building in Naples located in Piazza Riario Sforza, along the major decumanus . Born as a lay charitable institution, one of the oldest and most active in the city, it houses a seventeenth-century church where the canvas of the Seven Works of Mercy by Caravaggio is kept, one of the most important paintings of the seventeenth century, and other prestigious paintings of the same century belonging to the Neapolitan school.

The Rocchetta Mattei is a fortress located on the northern Apennines, on a hill 407 meters above sea level, in the locality of Savignano in the municipality of Grizzana Morandi, on the state road nº 64 Porrettana, in the metropolitan city of Bologna. Built-in the second half of the 19th century, it mixes different styles in an eclectic way, from medieval to Moorish.

The sanctuary of Santa Maria Delle Armi is a monumental complex of medieval origin in Calabria. It is located in the territory of Cerchiara di Calabria on the slopes of Mount Sellaro at 1015 m above sea level with a view of the Sibari plain and the Gulf of Taranto. Today's sanctuary stands on an ancient Byzantine monastic site, on the slopes of Mount Sellaro, also known as the holy mountain.

The archaeological excavations of Cuma have returned the remains of the ancient city of Cuma, one of the oldest Greek colonies in Italy, dating back to 730 BC and abandoned in 1207 when it was destroyed by the Neapolitan armies. The site of Cuma, explored in several stages starting from 1606, but systematically only since 1852, is managed by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Naples.

The Spanish Steps are a set of steps dating from 1723, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinita dei Monti at the top dominated by Trinita dei Monti Church. The steps are a wide irregular gathering place consisted of 138 steps placed in a mix of curves, straight flights, vistas and terraces. They connect the lower Piazza di Spagna with the upper piazza Trinita dei Monti, with its beautiful twin tower church dominating the skyline.

The Palazzo Te is a historic and monumental building in Mantua. Built between 1524 and 1534 on the commission of Federico II Gonzaga, it is the most famous work of the Italian architect Giulio Romano. The complex is now home to the civic museum and, since 1990, to the International Center of Art and Culture of Palazzo Te which organizes exhibitions of ancient and modern art and architecture.

The Italic theater and temple of Pietrabbondante are part of a vast archaeological area in the municipality of Pietrabbondante , in the province of Isernia , in the Molise region . Located about m. 966 above sea level, they occupy a steep slope overlooking the Trigno valley, in the locality of Calcatello, about a kilometer away, as the crow flies, from the summit of Mount Saraceno.

The territory of Metapontum is the most important archaeological site in Basilicata. It’s worth a visit indeed. The Palatine Tables is the remains of a Doric temple peripteral hexastyle the sixth century BC dedicated to the Greek goddess Hera. The temple, located near the Bradano, was linked to an extra-urban sanctuary, from which the temenos wall and the remains of an older altar emerged.

The tombs of the giants are monuments made up of collective tombs belonging to the Nuragic age and present throughout Sardinia. The name, born from the popular imagination, was assimilated by archaeologists who often prefer the name "tombs of giants". They are imposing constructions with a rectangular apse base, built with large blocks of stone planted in the ground.

The Elephant Tower is the second highest medieval tower in Cagliari, after the tower of San Pancrazio. The building, one of the most important monuments of the city, is located in the Castello district next to the church of San Giuseppe and can be reached from via Santa Croce, via Università, and the Cammino Nuovo. The visit to the monument allows you to admire vast views of the city and the surrounding area.

Trajan's Column is a majestic monument which was erected in 106–113 CE by the Roman emperor Trajan and survives intact in the ruins of Trajan’s Forum in Rome. Carved into the structure are 2,662 figures in 155 scenes. Trajan appears in 58 of them. Viewers were meant to follow the story from bottom to top standing in one place rather than circling the column 23 times, as the frieze does. Key scenes could be seen from two main vantage points.