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Ragusa Superiore
One of the best reasons for heading up to Ragusas modern and less-attractive half is to walk down again. It takes about half an hour to descend the Salita Commendatore , a winding pass of stairs and narrow archways that leads down to Ragusa Ibla past the Chiesa di Santa Maria delle
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Chiesa di Santo Stefano
Overlooking Piazza Umberto I, this baroque 17th-century church boasts a well-preserved marble floor (taken from Villa Jovis) and a statue of San Costanzo, Capri’s patron saint. Note the pair of languidly reclining patricians in the chapel to the south of the main altar, who seem to
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Castello Brown
A flight of stairs signposted Salita San Giorgio leads from the harbour and past the Chiesa di San Giorgio to Portofinos unusual castle, a 10-minute walk altogether (do confirm its open with the tourist office before setting out, as the castle often closes for private events). The
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Museo Pinacoteca Provinciale
Art enthusiasts should seek out the Museo Pinacoteca Provinciale, located deep in the heart of the historic quarter. Spread throughout six galleries, the museum houses a collection dating from the Renaissance right up to the first half of the 20th century. There are some fine canva
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Basilica di SantEustorgio
Built in the 4th century to house the bones of the Three Kings, SantEustorgio is one of Milans oldest churches. Its harmonious exterior belies its rabble-rousing past as Milans Inquisition HQ, but the real draw is Pigello Portinaris private chapel . Representative of the Medici ban
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Chiesa di San Pietro a Maiella
Dedicated to hermit Pietro del Morrone, who was promoted to Pope Celestine V in 1294, this church delivers a ying-and-yang combo of Gothic restraint and baroque exuberance. The chapel to the left of the presbytery features 14th-century frescoes by Giovanni Barrile, while the nave i
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Fontana delle Tartarughe
This playful, much-loved fountain features four boys gently hoisting tortoises up into a bowl of water. Created by Giacomo della Porta and Taddeo Landini in the late 16th century, its the subject of a popular local legend, according to which it was created in a single night. The st
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Galata Museo del Mare
Rivalled only by Barcelona and Venice as a medieval and Renaissance maritime power, Genoas museum of the sea is, not surprisingly, one of its most relevant and interesting. High-tech exhibits trace the history of seafaring, from Genoa’s reign as Europe’s greatest dockyard to the ag
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Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pace & Chiostro del Bramante
Tucked away in the back streets behind Piazza Navona, this small church boasts a columned semi-circular facade by Pietro da Cortona and a celebrated Raphael fresco, Sibille (Sibyls; c 1515). Next door, the Chiostro del Bramante (Bramante Cloister) is a masterpiece of High Renaissan
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Camo
This very special place is ostensibly a cameo shop – and exquisite they are, too, crafted primarily out of coral and shell – but theres a treasure trove of a museum beyond the showroom. Even more of a treat is if cameo creator and shop founder Giorgio Filocamo is here to explain t
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Chiesa dei Scalzi
An unexpected outburst of baroque extravagance, this Longhena-designed church has a facade by Giuseppe Sardi rippling with columns and statues in niches. This is an unusual departure for Venice, where baroque ebullience was usually reserved for interiors of Renaissance-leaning buil
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Piazza San Domenico Maggiore
Star of this operatic square is the 18th-century Guglia di San Domenico . The work of Cosimo Fanzago, Francesco Antonio Picchiatti and Domenico Antonio Vaccaro, the obelisk honours its namesake saint for stamping out the plague epidemic of 1656. Unfaithful Maria dAvalos and her lov
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La Rocca
Looming over the town, this imposing rocky crag is the site where the Arabs built their citadel, occupying it until the Norman conquest in 1061 forced them down to the port below. To reach the summit, follow signs for Tempio di Diana from the corner of Corso Ruggero and Vicolo Sara
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Chiesa di San Moisè
Icing flourishes of carved stone across the 1660s facade make this church appear positively lickable, although 19th-century architecture critic John Ruskin found its wedding-cake appearance indigestible. From an engineering perspective, Ruskin had a point: several statues had to be
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Negozio Olivetti
Like a revolver pulled from a petticoat, ultra-modern Negozio Olivetti was an outright provocation when it first appeared under the frilly arcades of Piazza San Marco in 1958. High-tech pioneer Olivetti comissioned Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa to transform a narrow, dim souvenir
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Museo Nazionale della Ceramica Duca di Martina
The National Museum of Ceramics houses a beautiful (albeit forlornly exhibited) collection of 6000 pieces, with priceless Chinese Ming (1368–1644) ceramics and Japanese Edo (1615–1867) vases on the lower floor, lively Renaissance majolica on the midde floor, and more European ceram
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Padua Cathedral Baptistry
South of the palazzo is the city’s cathedral , built from a much altered design of Michelangelo’s and completely upstaged by the adjoining 13th-century Baptistry . This Romanesque gem is completely frescoed with luminous Biblical scenes by Giusto de’ Menabuoi, a Giotto follower and
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Acquario
Genoas much-vaunted aquarium is one of the largest in Europe, with more than 5000 sea creatures, including sharks. Moored at the end of a walkway is the ship Nave Blu, a unique floating display, specialising in exhibits of coral reefs. The aquarium’s cetaceans pavilion may concern
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Basilica di San Giovanni
The citys most extensive catacombs lie beneath the Basilica di San Giovanni, itself a pretty, truncated church that served as the citys cathedral in the 17th century. It is dedicated to the citys first bishop, St Marcian, who was tied to one of its pillars and flogged to death in 2
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Egadi Islands
The islands of Levanzo , Favignana and Marettimo make a pleasant day trip from Trapani. For centuries the lucrative tuna industry fuelled the islands economy, but overfishing of the surrounding waters means that the Egadi survive primarily on income from tourists who come to cycle,
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