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Palazzo Grassi
Grand Canal gondola riders gasp at first glimpse of massive sculptures by contemporary artists like Thomas Houseago docked in front of Giorgio Masari’s 1749 neoclassical palace. French billionaire François Pinaults provocative art collection overflows Palazzo Grassi, while clever c
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Punta della Dogana
Fortuna, the weathervane atop Punta della Dogana, swung Venice’s way in 2005, when bureaucratic hassles in Paris convinced art collector François Pinault to showcase his works in Venicess long-abandoned customs warehouses. Built by Giuseppe Benoni in 1677 to ensure no ship entered
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Galleria dellAccademia
A queue marks the door to this gallery, built to house one of the Renaissances most iconic masterpieces, Michelangelos David. But the worlds most famous statue is worth the wait. The subtle detail of the real thing – the veins in his sinewy arms, the leg muscles, the change in expr
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Teatro San Carlo
A night at Italys biggest and oldest opera house is a magical experience. Although the original 1737 theatre burnt down in 1816, Antonio Niccolinis 19th-century reconstruction is pure Old World opulence. Dazzling after a €76 million restoration, its six gilded levels of boxes and p
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Il Corso
Montepulcianos main street – called in stages Via di Gracciano, Via di Voltaia, Via dellOpio and Via dPoliziano – climbs up the eastern ridge of the town from Porta al Prato and loops to meet Via di Collazzi on the western ridge. To reach the centre of town (Piazza Grande) take a d
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Parco Archeologico di Baia
In Roman times, these 1st-century-BC ruins were part of a sprawling palace and spa complex. Emperors would entertain themselves and their guests in a series of lavishly decorated thermal baths that descended to the sea. Among the surviving snippets are exquisite floor mosaics, a be
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Museo Nazionale di Reggio Calabria
Emerging from an interminable renovation (since 2009!), southern Italys finest museum is now partly reopened. More importantly it is displaying what are, probably, the worlds finest examples of ancient Greek sculpture: the Bronzi di Riace , two extraordinary bronze statues discover
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Piazza Navona
With its ornate fountains, baroque palazzi (mansions) and colourful cast of street artists, hawkers and tourists, Piazza Navona is central Rome’s elegant showcase square. Built over the 1st-century Stadio di Domiziano , it was paved over in the 15th century and for almost 300 years
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La Giara di Gesturi
Northwest of Barumini, La Giara di Gesturi is a high basalt plateau famous for its wild horses and uncontaminated natural beauty. The 45-sq-km plain, much of which is carpeted by macchia (Mediterranean scrubland) and woods of oak and cork trees, offers excellent walking and wonderf
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Galleria Doria Pamphilj
Hidden behind the grimy grey exterior of Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, this wonderful gallery boasts one of Rome’s richest private art collections, with works by Raphael, Tintoretto, Brueghel, Titian, Caravaggio, Bernini and Velázquez. Masterpieces abound, but the undisputed star is Velá
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Museo del Vetro
Since 1861, Murano’s glass-making prowess has been celebrated in Palazzo Giustinian (the seat of the Torcello bishopric from 1659 until its dissolution) and recent renovations finally do justice to the fabulous collection. On entry a video geeks out on the technical processes innov
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Sea Walls
Algheros golden sea walls, built around the centro storico by the Aragonese in the 16th century, are a highlight of the towns historic cityscape. Running from Piazza Sulis in the south to Porta a Mare and the marina in the north, they are crowned by a pedestrianised path that comma
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Cappella degli Scrovegni
Paduas version of the Sistine Chapel, the Cappella degli Scrovegni houses one of Italys great Renaissance masterpieces – a striking cycle of Giotto frescoes. Dante, da Vinci and Vasari all honour Giotto as the artist who ended the Dark Ages with these 1303–05 paintings, whose human
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Castel del Monte
Youll see Castel del Monte, an unearthly geometric shape on a hilltop, from miles away. Mysterious and perfectly octagonal, its one of southern Italys most talked-about landmarks and a Unesco World Heritage Site.No one knows why Frederick II built it – theres no nearby town or stra
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Palazzo Comunale & Torre Grossa
The 12th-century Palazzo Comunale is home to the Camera del Podestà , with its meticulously restored and slightly saucy cycle of frescoes by Memmo di Filippuccio – in this morality tale the rewards of marriage are shown in the scenes of the husband and wife naked in the bath and in
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Acropolis
The Acropolis, the heart of Selinuntes political and social life, occupies a slanted plateau overlooking the now-silted-up Gorgo di Cottone. Huddled in the southeastern part are five temples (A, B, C, D and O). Virtually the symbol of Selinunte, Temple C is the oldest temple on the
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Cappella Brancacci
Fire in the 18th century all but destroyed 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine , but fortunately it spared the magnificent frescoes in this chapel – a treasure of paintings by Masolino da Panicale, Masaccio and Filippino Lippi commissioned by rich merchant Felice Branc
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Cattedrale di Santa Maria
Cagliari’s graceful 13th-century cathedral stands proud on Piazza Palazzo. Except for the square-based bell tower, little remains of the original Gothic structure: the clean Pisan-Romanesque facade is a 20th-century imitation, added between 1933 and 1938. Inside, the once-Gothic ch
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Museo Nazionale Sanna
Sassaris premier museum, housed in a grand Palladian villa, boasts a comprehensive archaeological collection and an ethnographical section dedicated to Sardinian folk art. The highlight is the nuraghic bronzeware, including weapons, bracelets, votive boats and figurines depicting h
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Corridoio Vasariano
This 1km-long covered passageway bridges the Arno river, connecting the Palazzo Vecchio with the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Pitti . It was designed by Vasari in 1565 to allow the Medicis to wander between their two palaces in privacy and comfort. In the 17th century the Medicis str
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