Piazza del Duomo houses a group of world famous monuments which had a great influence on monumental art in Italy from the 11th to the 14th centuries. The four masterpieces of medieval architecture: the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (Leaning Tower) and the cemetery.
The Bourbon royal palace was built in Caserta in the 18th century. The palace served as headquarters of Allied command and was the site of surrender of the German Army in Italy in WW II.
Dating back to 1545, the botanical garden in Padua is regarded as the most ancient university garden in the world.
Was a Roman villa of the Late Empire; noted as one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Roman Sicily, famous for its mosaics.
Founded by colonists from Gela ca. 580 BC, the town was destroyed by Carthage in 406 BC. The place was rebuilt by Timoleon, a leader of Syracuse. Also known as the scene of defeat of the Carthaginian general Hanno by Romans 262 BC.
Includes the Archaeological sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula.
Includes Caltagirone, Catania, Militello Val di Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa, and Scicli.
The nine Sacri Monti ("Sacred Mountains") of this region of northern Italy are groups of chapels and other architectural features created in the late 16th and 17th centuries and dedicated to different aspects of Christian belief.
The Nine Sacri Monti are:
Tarchon was the legendary founder of Tarquinia; reputedly the oldest Etruscan city in Italy. It was noted as the earliest settlement in Etruria of the Villanovans and came under Rome probably by late 4th century BC, gained Roman citizenship in 90 BC. The ancient site was abandoned in the 8th or 9th century CE, when modern Corneto (since 1922 known as Tarquinia) was founded nearby.
The necropolis near Cerveteri, known as Banditaccia, contains thousands of tombs organized in a city-like plan, with streets, small squares and neighbourhoods.
Le Strade Nuove consists of the Via Garibaldi, Via Balbi and Via Cairoli. They are known for their aristocrat houses and the Palazzi dei Rolli.
Lynn Salmon <>{ Last updated: August 31, 2007
