Churches in General
From magnificent cathedrals to humble parish churches, holy sites are often also temples of art, architecture, music, and deep history—and where the mighty and famous are buried
Sights in General
- Amalfi
- Assisi
- Capri
- Chianti
- Florence
- Lake Como
- Lake Garda
- Milan
- Naples
- Padova
- Palermo
- Parma
- Perugia
- Pisa
- Pompeii
- Ravello
- Rome
- Salerno
- San Gimignano
- Siena
- Siracusa
- Sorrento
- Taormina
- Venice
- Verona
Sights in Italy
The basilica of St. Francis is covered in the greatest Gothic frescoes in the world
A 1C BC ancient Roman temple recycled into a church on the main piazza
The mountainside hermitage where St. Francis and his followers lived
The simple church where St. Francis received his holy call
A Franciscan chapel and site where he died inside a monstrously huge 19C church
Sights in Italy
Sights in Italy
A small church with early Renaissance frescoes
A Romanesque church with some lovely altarpieces
Sights in Italy
The Michelangelo-adorned tombs of the Medici in the Sagrestia Nuova and the ornate Cappella dei Principi (Chapel of the Princes) of San Lorenzo
Santa Croce church is the Westminster Abbey of Florence: The tombs of Renaissance giants Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and Rossini (plus some great Giotto frescoes—and a renowned leather school)
This Florentine church puts painting in perspective—literally, as home to some of the most groundbreaking frescoes of the early Renaissance
San Marco is a Renaissance monastery frescoed by the angelic Fra' Angelico and haunted by the memories of the demonic "Mad Monk" Savonarola
The amazing Masaccio frescoes of the Cappella Brancacci
The Medici family church, with Donatello sculptures and architecture by Brunelleschi and Michelangelo
Florence's Battistero di San Giovanni and Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise
A gem of a Romanesque church perched atop a hill overlooking Florence
A Gothic granary-turned-church decorated by early Renaissance sculptures
The church of Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno: Brunelleschi at his best
A church by the river with amazing, courtly Renaissance frescoes by Ghirlandaio
A treasure trove of Renaissance architecture and Mannerist art, and final resting place of several late Renaissance masters
Ghirlandaio frescoes, a long-lost Giotto masterpiece, and the final resting places of Botticelli, his Birth of Venus muse, and the namesake of America itself
That pointy tower in Dante's neighborhood is one of the nicest (and least visited) older churches in Florence
A tiny medieval church with several Dante associations
This country church on the road to Fiesole was where the future master Fra' Angelic first put on monk's robes and picked up paintbrushes
One of the oldest churches in Florence is decorated with Mannerist masterpieces
Home to "Crucifixion and Saints," a fresco by Renaissance Grandmaster Perugino
Fiesole's 11th-century Cathedral contains some delicate Mino da Fiesole carvings
Fransican church and convent with an early Renaissance altarpiece, Etruscan ruins, and a tiny museum with Chinese and Ancient Egyptian artifacts
Experiences in Italy
Climbing up between the cathedral dome's two layers to spectacular city views
Sights in Italy
A statue-studded facade and tapestry-lined cathederal—plus a digression on ancient local hero Pliny the Elder
A mountaintop abbey with great views and Romanesque frescoes
A tiny town with a magnificent villa, frescoed church, and, nearby, the spot where Mussolini was shot
Sights in Italy
A beach town and Romanesque church on Garda's western shore
Sights in Italy
Leonardo Da Vinci's fresco masterpiece, Il Cenacolo (The Last Supper), in Milan's Santa Maria delle Grazie church
From this 4C church, St. Ambrose—bishop of Milan when the city was briefly capital of the Western Roman Empire—had a profound effect on the development of the early church
The best works from small church museums and treasuries across Milan and Lombardy
The oldest church in Milan attests to the days when the city was the capital of the Western Roman Empire
This gorgeous little Bramante-designed church (encompassing an older Byzantine one) is sadly overlooked just off Piazza del Duomo
Renaissance architecture and a lovely cloister in the church attached to the Last Supper
Sights in Italy
Burrow through 2,500 years of Neapolitan history in this best of Naples' churches
Gothic, Renaissance, and baroque art masterpieces in a Neapolitan church
Sights in Italy
Sights in Italy
The gorgeous, mosaic-columned cloisters of the Monreale Cathedral—formally known as the Chiostro Santa Maria la Nuova
A Romantically ruined Arabian-Norman church amid lush gardens
A palazzo– and church-ringed piazza centered on the elaborate Fountain of Shame
Sights in Italy
The Parma baptistry is one of the glories of Italian Romanesque architecture
The Romanesque cathedral with 16C frescoes by Correggio and others
A baroque face hides masterworks by the two great native artists: Correggio (Renaissance) and Parmigianino (Mannerist)
Sights in Italy
A chapel covered in frescoes by a young Raphael and Perugino
A gorgeous facade covered in early Renaissance deep bas reliefs by Agostino di Duccio
A massive Gothic church with an interesting facade and a performance space inside
Sights in Italy
A massive drum-like Romanesque base with a Pisano-designed Gothic skullcap of a roof
The evening-more-leaning tower of Pisa (bonus: leaning church)
The oldest church in Pisa with a lovely Romanesque chapel
A felicitous square withe the Vasari-deigned Palazzo dei Cavalieri, San Stefano church, and legendary Palazzo dell'Orologio
Sights in Italy
Sights in Italy
St. Peter's Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) in Rome: Motherchurch of Christendom
Rome's church of Santa Maria del Popolo is like a primer on the development of art and architecture from the early Renaissance through the baroque
A few blocks from the Colosseum is the best place in Rome to see the layer-cake effect of its history in action: church piled atop church piled atop pagan temple
It's a shame that so many who stop to see the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) on the porch don't take the time to go inside the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin itself
The Cimitero Monumentale dei Frati Cappuccini—better known simply as the Capuchin Crypt—is one of the eeriest sites in Rome: a series of chapels mosaicked with the bones of long-dead monks
Sculptures by Michelangelo and Bernini, the bodies of Fra' Angelico and St. Catherine, and the tombs of two Medici popes—so why isn't this church right behind the Pantheon more famous?
The church of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome is a festival of Caravaggios
The swirling, curling lanterns atop the dome of this baroque church plays peek-a-boo with pedestrians on the surrounding streets—good thing, as the church itself is hidden in a courtyard
The oldest church in Rome preserves some its most glorious medieval mosaics
This Trastevere church looks like nothing much... until you pay the nuns to sneak downstairs to see remnants of ancient Rome, or upstairs to see precious frescoes by medieval master Pietro Cavallini
Bramante's Tempietto is a doll house–sized Renaissance church halfway up the Gianicolo hill
St. Paul's Outside-the-Walls is one of the four great basilicas of Rome
Rome's Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri is a church designed by Michelangelo to inhabit the remains of an ancient Roman bathhouse...you'd think it'd be more famous
The sad story of the Santo Bambino at the Capitoline church
Contrary to popular belief (which wants it to be St. Peter's), the Cattedrale di San Giovanni in Laterano (Cathedral of St. John Lateran) is the cathedral of Rome
The Scala Sancta, or Holy Stairs, is a chapel built around the great relic of the steps to Pontius Pilate's palace that Jesus once climbed to meet his fate
A baroque church with the bodacious Bernini set-piece of St. Theresa in Ecstasy marrying architecture and sculpture
A stylish baroque Piazza Navona church with free concerts and a sobering saintly history
The church has works by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Sansovino—and lies just off Piazza Navona—yet sadly sees few visitors
A tiny church off Piazza Navona decorated by Raphael and Peruzzi with architecture by Bramante and Pietro Da Cortona
The "dome" in this church is a masterpiece of trompe-l'oeil
This Roman church is as famous for its role in as a major setting in the Puccini opera Tosca as it is for its baroque art and architecture
The grand basilica of St. Mary Major is a wonderland of mosaics in a crummy neighborhood
Michelangelo's famous Moses statue on tomb of Pope Julius II—plus the chains that bound St. Peter—at the chruch of "St. Peter in Chains"
This Trastevere church contains one of the raciest religious sculptures in the world, Bernini's Beata Ludovica in Ecstasy
This ancient church on the Aventine Hill has some of the oldest Christian art in the world
The only church in the form of a question, built on the site where St. Peter finally found his mettle
Sights in Italy
Spectacular early Renaissance frescoes wallpaper the main church of San Gimignano
Candy-colored Gothic frescoes in a forgotten San Gimignano church
This 13C church at the north end of town is full of good 15C frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli and others
Sights in Italy
A gorgeously frescoed former hospital and several small churches in one complex
A chapel with Renaissance and early baroque frescoes by the Sienese school
St. Catherine's house is where Siena's famous home-grown saint and medieval diplomat lived
A Gothic church (and Siena landmark) housing the relics of St. Catherine of Siena
Some lovely baroque frescoes in a church on the edge of Siena
A small church with some nice late Renaissance and Mannerist paintings
A Romanesque church with lovely altarpieces
A Gothic church with works by the Lorenzetti Brothers
Sights in Italy
Underground caverns honeycombed with ancient Christian burial niches
The modern "Sanctuary of the Mary of the Tears" houses a miraculous statue from the 1950s
Sights in Italy
The Saint & the Sea Monster: The odd history of Sorrento's baroque church of S. Antonino and its quirky titular saint
Sights in Italy
Piazza 9 Aprile is the main square and public living room of Taormina lined by cafes, views, and churches
Sights in Italy
An island church built by Palladio, decorated by Tintoretto and Bassano, and offering great views from the campanile
The church of San Simeon Piccolo (a.k.a. San Simeone e Giuda) across the train station
A medieval church with Byzantine bits and Renaissance frescoes
A small Murano church loaded with paintings by Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, and Giovanni Bellini
Sights in Italy
One of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in northern Italy
- italia.it (official Italy site)
- Beniculturali.it (official site for major sights across Italy)
- italiantourism.com (Official Italian tourism site for NA)
- Culturaitalia.it (Italy cultural patrimony)
- Coopculture.it (major sights/ruins across Italy)
- Vivaticket.it (tickets to about 75 sights across Italy)
Useful Italian for rail travel
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
Where is? | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
...train station | la ferroviaria [or] la stazione | lah fair-o-vee-YAR-ree-yah [or] lah stat-zee-YO-nay |
ticket | un biglietto | oon beel-YET-toh |
first class | prima classe | PREE-mah CLAH-say |
second class | seconda classe | say-CONE-dah CLAH-say |
one way | solo andata | SO-low ahn-DAHT-tah |
round trip (return) | andata e ritorno | ahn-DAH-tah ay ree-TOUR-noh |
Just the supplement | Soltanto il supplemento | soul-TAHN-toh eel sou-play-MEN-toh |
Just a seat reservation | Soltanto una prenotazione | soal-TAHN-toh oo-nah pray-no-tah-tsee-YOH-nay |
I have a Eurailpass | Ho il Eurailpass | oh eel YOO-rail-pahs |
sleeping couchette | una cucetta | oo-nah koo-CHET-tah |
berth in a sleeping car | un posto nel vagone letto | oon POH-sto nell vah-GOAN-nay LET-toh |
track | binario | been-AR-ree-yoh |
train | treno | TRE-no |
car (carriage) | carozza | ka-RO-tza |
seat | posto | PO-sto |
departures | partenze | par-TEN-zay |
arrivals | arrivi | ah-REE-vee |
information | informazione | in-for-ma-tzee-OH-nay |
left luggage | deposito bagagli | day-PO-zee-toh ba-GAHL-yee |
punch your ticket | timbrare il biglietto | teem-BRA-ray eel beel-YET-toh |
Is this the right platform for the Rome train? | E questo il binario per il treno à Roma? | ay KWAY-sto eel been-AR-ree-yo pair eel TRE-no ah RO-ma? |
delayed | in retardo | een ree-TAR-do |
strike | sciopero | SHO-pair-oh |
Mon-Sat | Feriali | fair-ee-YAHL-ee |
Sun & holidays | Festivi | feh-STEE-vee |
Daily | Giornaliere | joor-nahl-ee-YAIR-eh |
City / Train station names | ||
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Main station |
Rome | Roma | Termini |
Florence | Firenze | Santa Maria Novella |
Venice | Venezia | Santa Lucia |
Milan | Milano | Centrale |
Genoa | Genova | Porta Principe |
Naples | Napoli | Centrale |
Leghorn | Livorno | Centrale |
Turin | Torino | Porta Nuova |
Useful Italian for air travel
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
Where is... | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
the airport | l'aeroporto | LAHW-ro-port-oh |
the airplane | l'aereo | LAIR-reh-oh |
terminal | terminal | TEAR-me-nahl |
flight | volo | VOH-lo |
gate | uscita d'imbarco | oo-SHEE-tah deem-BARK-oh |
to the right | à destra | ah DEH-strah |
to the left | à sinistra | ah see-NEEST-trah |
straight ahead | avanti [or] diritto | ah-VAHN-tee [or] dee-REE-toh |
keep going straight | sempre diritto | SEM-pray dee-REE-toh |
departures | partenze | par-TEN-zay |
arrivals | arrivi | ah-REE-vee |
delayed | in ritardo | een ree-TAR-doh |
on time | in orario | een oh-RAH-ree-yo |
early | in avanti | een ah-VAHN-tee |
boarding | imbarco | eem-BARK-o |
connecting flight | la coincidenza | la ko-een-chee-DEN-za |
check-in | accettazione | ah-chet-ta-zee-YO-nee |
immigration | controllo passaporti | cone-TRO-lo pah-sa-POR-tee |
security check | controllo di sicurezza | kohn-TRO-lo dee see-kur-AY-tzah |
customs | dogana | do-GA-na |
shuttle | la navetta | lah na-VET-tah |
boarding pass | carta d'imbarco | kart-ta deem-BARK-o |
baggage claim | ritiro bagagli | ree-TEER-oh bah-GA-lyee |
carry-on luggage | bagaglio à mano | bah-GA-lyo ah MA_no |
checked luggage | bagalio | bah-GA-lyo |
Useful Italian for car travel
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
car | automobile | ow-toh-MO-bee-lay |
scooter/motorboke | un motorino | oon mo-tair-EE-no |
gas station | stazione di servizio | stah-zee-YO-nay dee sair-VEE-tzee-yo |
gas | benzina | ben-ZEE-nah |
diesel | gasolio [or] diesel | gah-ZOH-lee-oh [or] DEE-zell |
Fill it up, please | al pieno, per favore | ahl pee-YAY-noh, pair fa-VOHR-ray |
Where is... | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
...the highway | l'autostrada | lout-oh-STRA-dah |
...the state highway | la statale [written "SS"] | lah sta-TAHL-eh |
...the road for Rome | la strada per Roma | lah STRA-dah pair RO-mah |
to the right | à destra | ah DEH-strah |
to the left | à sinistra | ah see-NEEST-trah |
straight ahead | avanti [or] diritto | ah-VAHN-tee [or] dee-REE-toh |
keep going straight | sempre diritto | SEM-pray dee-REE-toh |
to cross | attraversare | ah-tra-vair-SAR-ay |
toll | pedaggio | peh-DA-jo |
parking | parcheggio | par-KEH-jo |
road map | carta stradale | kar-ta stra-DA-lay |
where can I pay the fine? | dove posso pagare la multa | DOH-veh Po-so pag-GAR-ray la MOOL-tah |
Typical road signs / terms » more
English (anglais) | French (français) |
Stop | Stop |
Exit | Uscita |
Staffic light | Semaforo |
One-way | Senso unico |
Dead-end | Strada senza uscita |
Parking prohibited | No parcheggio or parcheggio proibito |
Pedestrian zone | Area pedonale |
Limited Traffic Zone (you pay to drive in) | ZTL or Zona Traffico Limitato |
Basic phrases in Italian
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | pro-nun-see-YAY-shun |
thank you | grazie | GRAT-tzee-yay |
please | per favore | pair fa-VOHR-ray |
yes | si | see |
no | no | no |
Do you speak English? | Parla Inglese? | PAR-la een-GLAY-zay |
I don't understand | Non capisco | non ka-PEESK-koh |
I'm sorry | Mi dispiace | mee dees-pee-YAT-chay |
How much is it? | Quanto costa? | KWAN-toh COST-ah |
That's too much | É troppo | ay TROH-po |
Good day | Buon giorno | bwohn JOUR-noh |
Good evening | Buona sera | BWOH-nah SAIR-rah |
Good night | Buona notte | BWOH-nah NOTE-tay |
Goodbye | Arrivederci | ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee |
Excuse me (to get attention) | Scusi | SKOO-zee |
Excuse me (to get past someone) | Permesso | pair-MEH-so |
Where is? | Dov'é | doh-VAY |
...the bathroom | il bagno | eel BHAN-yoh |
...train station | la ferroviaria | lah fair-o-vee-YAR-ree-yah |
to the right | à destra | ah DEH-strah |
to the left | à sinistra | ah see-NEEST-trah |
straight ahead | avanti [or] diritto | ah-VAHN-tee [or] dee-REE-toh |
information | informazione | in-for-ma-tzee-OH-nay |
Days, months, and other calendar items in Italian
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
When is it open? | Quando é aperto? | KWAN-doh ay ah-PAIR-toh |
When does it close? | Quando si chiude? | KWAN-doh see key-YOU-day |
At what time... | a che ora | a kay O-rah |
Yesterday | ieri | ee-YAIR-ee |
Today | oggi | OH-jee |
Tomorrow | domani | doh-MAHN-nee |
Day after tomorrow | dopo domani | DOH-poh doh-MAHN-nee |
a day | un giorno | oon je-YOR-no |
Monday | Lunedí | loo-nay-DEE |
Tuesday | Martedí | mar-tay-DEE |
Wednesday | Mercoledí | mair-coh-lay-DEE |
Thursday | Giovedí | jo-vay-DEE |
Friday | Venerdí | ven-nair-DEE |
Saturday | Sabato | SAH-baa-toh |
Sunday | Domenica | doh-MEN-nee-ka |
Mon-Sat | Feriali | fair-ee-YAHL-ee |
Sun & holidays | Festivi | feh-STEE-vee |
Daily | Giornaliere | joor-nahl-ee-YAIR-eh |
a month | una mese | oon-ah MAY-zay |
January | gennaio | jen-NAI-yo |
February | febbraio | feh-BRI-yo |
March | marzo | MAR-tzoh |
April | aprile | ah-PREEL-ay |
May | maggio | MAH-jee-oh |
June | giugno | JEW-nyoh |
July | luglio | LOO-lyoh |
August | agosto | ah-GO-sto |
September | settembre | set-TEM-bray |
October | ottobre | oh-TOE-bray |
November | novembre | no-VEM-bray |
December | dicembre | de-CHEM-bray |
Numbers in Italian
English (inglese) | Italian (italiano) | Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun |
1 | uno | OO-no |
2 | due | DOO-way |
3 | tre | tray |
4 | quattro | KWAH-troh |
5 | cinque | CHEEN-kway |
6 | sei | say |
7 | sette | SET-tay |
8 | otto | OH-toh |
9 | nove | NO-vay |
10 | dieci | dee-YAY-chee |
11 | undici | OON-dee-chee |
12 | dodici | DOH-dee-chee |
13 | tredici | TRAY-dee-chee |
14 | quattordici | kwa-TOR-dee-chee |
15 | quindici | KWEEN-dee-chee |
16 | sedici | SAY-dee-chee |
17 | diciasette | dee-chee-ya-SET-tay |
18 | diciotto | dee-CHO-toh |
19 | diciannove | dee-chee-ya-NO-vay |
20 | venti | VENT-tee |
21* | vent'uno* | vent-OO-no |
22* | venti due* | VENT-tee DOO-way |
23* | venti tre* | VENT-tee TRAY |
30 | trenta | TRAYN-tah |
40 | quaranta | kwa-RAHN-tah |
50 | cinquanta | cheen-KWAN-tah |
60 | sessanta | say-SAHN-tah |
70 | settanta | seh-TAHN-tah |
80 | ottanta | oh-TAHN-tah |
90 | novanta | no-VAHN-tah |
100 | cento | CHEN-toh |
1,000 | mille | MEEL-lay |
5,000 | cinque milla | CHEEN-kway MEEL-lah |
10,000 | dieci milla | dee-YAY-chee MEEL-lah |
* You can use this formula for all Italian ten-place numbers—so 31 is trent'uno, 32 is trenta due, 33 is trenta tre, etc. Note that—like uno (one), otto (eight) also starts with a vowel—all "-8" numbers are also abbreviated (vent'otto, trent'otto, etc.).