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Museo Internazionale delle Marionette
This whimsical museum houses over 3500 marionettes, puppets, glove puppets and shadow figures from Palermo, Catania and Naples, as well as from further-flung places such as Japan, Southeast Asia, Africa, China and India. Occasional puppet shows (adult/child €10/5) are staged on the
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Volto Santo
Lucca-born sculptor and architect Matteo Civitali (1436-1501) spent most of his life working on churches and villas in and around in his hometown and refused to be influenced by his counterparts in Florence. He is considered the leading exponent of a strictly Lucchese Renaissance a
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Chiesa e Museo di Orsanmichele
This unusual and inspirational church, with a Gothic tabernacle by Andrea Orcagna, was created when the arcades of an old grain market (1290) were walled in and two storeys added during the 14th century. Its exterior is decorated with niches and tabernacles bearing statues. Represe
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San Nicola
Medieval buildings thrust out of San Nicolas rocky shores, the same pale-sand colour as the barren cliffs. In 1010, Benedictine monks founded the Abbazia e Chiesa di Santa Maria here; for the next 700 years the islands were ruled by a series of abbots who accumulated great wealth.
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Convento dei Cappuccini
This church and convent complex has turned its extraordinary Capuchin cemetery into cash by adding a flashy museum and bumping up the entrance fee. However, its still worth visiting what is possibly Romes strangest sight: crypt chapels where everything from the picture frames to th
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Tempio della Concordia
One of the best-preserved ancient Greek temples in existence, the Temple of Concord has survived almost entirely intact since it was constructed in 430 BC. It was converted into a Christian basilica in the 6th century and the main structure reinforced, giving it a better chance of
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Mt Etna
Dominating the landscape in eastern Sicily, Mt Etna (3350m/12730ft) is Europes largest live volcano and one of the worlds most active. Eruptions occur frequently, and visitors should be aware that excursions are at the mercy of volcanic activity. People are no longer allowed to cli
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Via Chiaia
Join the perma-tanned for a spot of window shopping on this popular pedestrianised strip. Linking Piazza Trieste e Trento with Piazza dei Martiri, its a particular hit with evening flâneurs, not to mention home to 16th-century Palazzo Cellamare at No 149. Built as a summer residenc
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Villa Malfitano
A showcase of Liberty architecture, set in a 9-hectare (22-acre) formal garden planted with rare and exotic species, this villa is most notable for its whimsical interior decoration, which includes a Summer Room with walls painted to resemble a conservatory, and a music room draped
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Old City
The heart of medieval Genoa – bounded by ancient city gates Porta dei Vacca and Porta Soprana , and the streets of Via Cairoli, Via Garibaldi and Via XXV Aprile – is famed for its caruggi (narrow lanes). Looking up at the washing pegged on lines everywhere, it becomes obvious that
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Colossus
Despite its wonderful museum, fancy churches and enormous castle, Barletta is best known for the not-so-colossal Colossus that stands beside the Basilica del Santo Sepolcro on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. No-one knows who the guy in the funny frilly crown really is although hes definit
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Chiesa di Santa Maria del Giglio
Experience awe through the ages in this compact church with a 10th-century Byzantine layout, charmingly flawed maps of Venice territories c 1678 on the facade, and three intriguing masterpieces. Veronese’s Madonna with Child hides behind the altar, Tintoretto’s four evangelists fla
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La Colombaia
One of the joys of coming to Ischia is experiencing its untamed rural character, a feeling exemplified by handsome neo-Renaissance villa La Colombaia. Its little wonder, perhaps, as this is the former bachelor pad of flamboyant Italian film director Luchino Visconti. Born into one
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Cattedrale di Santa Maria della Neve
A big, pink wedding cake of a church, the 19th-century Cattedrale di Santa Maria della Neve is one of 300 or so Italian churches dedicated to the Madonna della Neve. The cathedral’s facade is a big flouncing neoclassical spread, giving onto a single-nave interior. Of note inside is
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Villa Carlotta
Waterfront Villa Carlotta sits high on Comos must-visit list. The botanic gardens are filled with colour from orange trees interlaced with pergolas, while some of Europes finest rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias bloom. The 17th-century villa, strung with paintings, sculptures (s
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Lello Esposito
Dividing his time between Naples and New York, the infectiously charming Lello Esposito (who speaks very little English) is intrigued by Neapolitan cultural identity, symbolism and metamorphosis. Its a fascination that feeds large-scale sculptures and installations that explore and
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Piazza della Repubblica
Mazaras central piazza is an attractive space edged by elegant buildings, including the towns 11th-century Cattedrale del San Salvatore , the elegant, two-storey Seminario dei Chierici (dating from 1710) and, on the opposite side of the square, the 18th-century Seminario Vescovile
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Libreria Piccolomini
Off the north aisle of the Duomo Nuovo, the Libreria Piccolomini is one of the cathedrals great treasures. Pope Pius III built this compact hall to house the books of his uncle, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II; only a series of huge choral tomes remains on display.
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Museo del Tesoro e Area Archeologica di SantEulalia
In the heart of the Marina district, this museum contains a rich collection of religious art, as well as an archaeological area, which extends for up to 200 sq metres beneath the adjacent Chiesa di Sant’ Eulalia . The main drawcard here is a 13m section of excavated Roman road (con
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Piscina Mirabilis
Youll need to book (by phone) at least two hours ahead to visit the worlds largest Roman cistern, but its well worth the effort to stand in this underrated ancient wonder. Bathed in an eerie light and featuring 48 soaring pillars and a barrel-vaulted ceiling, the Marvellous Pool is
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