It is well known that Italy, all over its territory boasts a unique cultural-historical heritage of villages and cities with an unbelievable number of masterpieces and attractions. Currently, there are 57 sites in Italy that are part of the UNESCO world heritage list, including art attractions, natural landscapes, architecture and even food. Everybody knows Rome, Florence and Venice, but in this blog post we would like to list some of the less known cities that are part of UNESCO heritages which definitely deserve a visit.
A precious gem in the heart of Marche region, in Central Italy: a treasure trove of masterpieces, a city with medieval features redesigned according to Renaissance canons. The "ideal city" (as per the title of the most famous painting exhibited at the Urbino National Gallery), whose historic center has been protected as a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1998.
City located in Emilia-Romagna region, whose historic center was included by UNESCO in the World Heritage List in 1995. Ferrara is also known as the "city of the Renaissance", because its historic center is one of the most well-preserved it is shaped on the canons of urban planning which can be recognized as the basis of the modern urban planning . It is one of the few Italian cities that was not originally set on a Roman plan, but develops on a linear axis along the banks of the Po.
Ravenna is another gem of Emilia Romagna, located in the northeastern area of the region. The city was originally the bridge between classical civilization and Constantinople. Currently it preserves the richest patrimony of mosaics datable between the 5th and 6th centuries AD. kept within its early Christian and Byzantine religious buildings. There are eight monuments that have become part of the UNESCO World Heritage List witnessing the greatness of Ravenna throughout history: Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Baptistery of the Orthodox, the Baptistery of the Arians, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, the Chapel of Sant'Andrea, the Mausoleum of Theodoric, the Basilica of San Vitale, the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe.
One of the most interesting art cities in Lombardy is few kilometers away from Milan. The city is divided into Upper Bergamo and Lower Bergamo, and the fulcrum of the elegant historic center develops in the upper part. The medieval walls became part of the Unesco World Heritage List in 2017, preserving the charming city centre with its valuable historic and religious monuments.Discover Bergamo with the Half day group tour to Bergamo from Milan or in a most intimate experience with the private excursion from Milan to Bergamo.
Siracusa was defined by Cicero as "the most beautiful city of Magna Graecia". Located in South- Eastern Sicily, the city clearly shows the signs of its history as a culture capital starting from the Greek age up to the Renaissance and Baroque period. Enrolled in the UNESCO cultural heritage list since 2005, for its archaeological richness (from the Neapolis district). Not to be missed the splendid Renaissance and Baroque buildings.
Visit Siracusa with our day trip from Catania!
Hill town in Umbria region, the "green heart" of Italy. Assisi is known for being the hometown of San Francesco, where he founded the homonymous religious order of San Francesco. Assisi was registered in 2000 in the World Heritage list of UNESCO sites, as it represents a unique model of historical continuity of a city with its cultural landscape and the whole of the territorial system.
Dsicover Assisi with our small group walking tour of the city center.
City of Veneto, Vicenza was founded in the second century BC, whose golden period dates back to 1500, when the Venetian aristocracy reorganized its city and its countryside and Andrea Palladio was entrusted with the construction of the new residences of the nobility. In 1994 it was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its uniqueness linked to the work of the architect Andrea Palladio. In 1996 the second prize was awarded for the Palladian villas of the Veneto (it includes 23 palaces in Vicenza and 24 villas in the surrounding area).
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