Italy has more sites with UNESCO World Heritage status than any other country in the world. As of 2015, there are 51 Italian world heritage sites. Visiting some of these sites on your travels or planning an itinerary through these places can be a rewarding experience. Many of them are in the main cities and towns, but others are in places of natural beauty or outside the usual places. Scroll down to find out where to see world heritage sites in each part of Italy.
World Heritage Sites of Northern Italy
19 of Italy’s world heritage sites are located in northern Italy, including the first site to be inscribed in 1979, Rock Drawings of the Valcamonica (photos). Northern Italy’s top sites are in Venice and Veneto, Verona, Milan, Ravenna, and Cinque Terre, but there are others you’ve probably never heard of. Check out the full list and learn about each of them by clicking the link above.
Central Italy World Heritage Site
Sites in central Italy are found in many well-known locations such as Rome, Florence, Siena, Assisi, and Pisa. Interesting smaller sites include Etruscan tombs, an ancient church, a Roman villa, and Renaissance gardens with nearly 500 fountains.
World Heritage Sites of Southern Italy
Southern Italy has a great diversity of interesting things to see. World Heritage sites include Roman and Greek ruins, castles, a Royal Palace, an unusual city of cave dwellings, and the only trulli in Puglia.
Sicily and Sardinia sites
The two largest islands in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia, are fascinating places to visit. There are seven world heritage sites including well-preserved Greek temples, a Roman villa, volcanic islands, picturesque Baroque villages, and unique Sardinian stone towers called nuraghe.
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Longobards in Italy: places of power (568 to 774 AD)
Italy’s newest World Heritage site, inscribed in 2011, includes seven important Longobard buildings from the 6th to 8th centuries in various parts of Italy. The fortresses, churches and monasteries of this group show the importance of the Lombards in the early Middle Ages of Italy.
