Italy has 51 UNESCO world heritage sites (as of 2015) with 19 in Northern Italy and one including monuments throughout Italy, Longobards in Italy – Places of Power. Northern Italy’s world heritage sites include city centers, archaeological sites, and natural sites. The sites are listed in the order in which they were inscribed by UNESCO, beginning with Italy’s first world heritage site in 1979, the Valcamonica rock drawings.
Of course, there are more Italian UNESCO sites in central Italy, southern Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia.
Valcamonica – Cave drawings
The prehistoric petroglyphs of Valcamonica were the first UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy, designated in 1979. The Valle Delle Incisioni, the Valley of Engravings, is the largest collection of prehistoric rock carvings in Europe with over 140,000 petroglyphs made over a period of 8,000 years. . In addition to prehistoric sites, beautiful Valcamonica is dotted with picturesque medieval villages and has many hiking trails.
Milán – Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Last Supper
The Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie with the famous painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the best views of Milan. If you’re going to make sure you book tickets in advance. Both the convent and the painting are from the 15th century.
Venice and the Venetian lagoon
Venice is one of the most popular and romantic cities in Italy. Built on 118 islands, the city of Venice was chosen as an architectural masterpiece with many important works of art. The Doge’s Palace is the most impressive building in Venice and St. Mark’s Basilica is not to be missed, but you will find interesting architecture everywhere in Venice.
Vicenza and Palladian Villas of Veneto
Vicenza, east of Venice, is the heart of the Veneto region and was an important city between the 15th and 18th centuries. The Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio designed many of Vicenza’s buildings in classical Roman architecture of the 16th century. The Basilica Palladiana is considered by many to be Palladio’s masterpiece. The Palladian Villas in the countryside, also designed by Palladio, were built as summer homes for well-to-do Venetians and some of them are now open to the public. See the Veneto map for its location.
Crespi d’Adda
Crespi d’Adda, in Capropriate San Gervasio, in the Lombardy region, was chosen as’ an outstanding example of 19th and early 20th century business cities built in Europe and North America by enlightened industrialists to meet the needs of Workers”. Built in 1875, the city and the factory it was built in prospered until the Depression of 1929, when the factory was sold to a larger company for financial reasons. Today the factory is closed but the city still works.
Ferrara and the Po Delta
Ferrara, in the Po Delta in Emilia-Romagna, is a walled Renaissance city with many excellent examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. A medieval castle dominates the old town and its 12th century cathedral is a good example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. During the Renaissance, Ferrara was an intellectual and artistic center, designed according to the principles of the “ideal city” of the late 15th century. Ferrara holds its Palio contest in May and a weekend is dedicated to throwing flags. Stay close to the castle at the Hotel Annunziata.
Ravenna – Early Christian Monuments
Ravenna, also known as the city of mosaics, offers the visitor a unique look at the religious mosaic arts of the 5th and 6th centuries. Eight of Ravenna’s monuments and churches from the 5th and 6th centuries are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, most due to their spectacular early Christian mosaics. During this period, Ravenna was the western capital of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire in Europe.
Padua – Botanical Garden
The botanical garden, Orto Botanico, in Padua was the world’s first botanical garden, created in 1545. There are several interesting plant collections including aquatic plants, medicinal plants, and plants that feed on insects. The gardens, located near the famous Basilica of San Antonio, are open to the public.
Modena – Cathedral and monuments
The Duomo or Cathedral and Modena’s 12th-century Gothic bell tower, Torre della Ghirlandina, are located in the historic center of Piazza Grande. These three monuments make up the world heritage site of Modena. The cathedral is one of the best Romanesque churches in Europe. Modena is also home to Luciano Pavorotti, balsamic vinegar, and exotic carmakers like Maserati and Ferrari, who have just opened the Enzo Ferrari House Museum in Modena.
Portovenere and Cinque Terre
Portovenere and Cinque Terre are picturesque towns on the coast near La Spezia. Portovenere, on the Gulf of Poets, has a harbor lined with brightly colored houses and narrow medieval streets that lead up the hill from the ancient city gate to a castle. Cinque Terre, Five Lands, are five car-free villages connected by trails, trains, and ferries.
Residences of the Royal House of Savoy
The Venaria Reale, on the outskirts of Turin, is a huge complex that houses the Palace and the Baroque Gardens of Savoy. The palace and gardens were opened to the public in 2007 following a massive restoration project, one of the largest in Europe. The Reggia di Venaria Reale is an extravagant Baroque Royal Palace used as a Savoyard residence in the 17th to 18th centuries. It is one of the most significant examples of Baroque art and architecture that exist.
Aquileia – Archaeological Area and Basilica
Aquileia was one of the largest and most important cities of the first Roman Empire. Although most of the area is not excavated, the Basilica with its impressive mosaic pavement can be seen. Aquileia is located in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, the most northeastern part of Italy.
Verona
Verona is known as the city of Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare’s play and for its Roman arena used for summer opera performances. Verona has a good historical center with several Roman monuments. Piazza delle Erbe was once the Roman forum, but is now a market square surrounded by frescoed buildings. Verona was inscribed by UNESCO for the large number of monuments from antiquity and the medieval and Renaissance periods.
Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy
The nine sacred mountains in the Piedmont and Lombardy region of northern Italy have Christian churches and monuments created in the 16th and 17th centuries. They house important wall paintings and statues. According to one reader, “their relevance lies in the fact that they were conceived as places where people who could not move much could participate in pilgrimages, similar to those that took people to Rome, Jerusalem or Santiago de Compostela since the Middle Ages. «.
Génova – The New Streets and Rolli Palaces
The Renaissance and Baroque Palaces of Rolli, in the center of Genoa, were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2006. Around 80 Palaces of Rolli were built in the 16th and early 17th centuries when Genoa was a of the four great maritime republics of Italy. These Renaissance and Baroque palaces lined the nude or new streets. Many of them were restored in 2004.
Mantua y Sabbioneta
Mantua, or Mantova, is a beautiful historic city in northern Italy, surrounded on three sides by lakes. The center of the city is three spacious and lively squares that come together. Mantua was one of the largest Renaissance courts in Europe and was chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 for its Renaissance planning and architecture. Nearby Sabbioneta is a small walled town. Both cities are part of the UNESCO Quadrilateral District which includes several other historic cities.
Rhaetian Railway and Bernina Landscapes
This world heritage site is shared with Switzerland. These are two historic and picturesque railway lines, built in the early 19th century, that run through the central Alps.
Dolomites
The Dolomite mountain range, with 18 peaks rising above 3,000 meters, is located in the Italian Alps that cross the northern border of the Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige regions. The Dolomite range is popular for skiing most of the year and hiking in the summer. The UNESCO inscription reads: “It presents some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the world, with vertical walls, cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys.”
Piedmont wine regions
The 50th UNESCO site in Italy is the vineyard landscapes of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato wine regions in the southern part of the Piemonte region. This is the first time that a site has been chosen based on its landscape, which is cited as an excellent example of farmers and agriculture conserving the landscape.
