The Guide to Essential Italy

Visiting the sites along the Tiber River, which tell Rome's story; climbing the Monte Caprino, one of Rome's seven hills, to see sculptures, Michelangelo's magnificent piazza, and palaces; exploring the artworks of the Church of the Aracoeli.

Visiting the Piazza Venezia, known for its Renaissance and Baroque palaces, famous talking statues and the church of Santa Maria di Loreto; exploring the imposing forums of Trajan and Augustus and the history and lore of Rome's iconic Colosseum.

Learning about the marvels of Roman hydraulic engineering and visiting the massive Circus Maximus; exploring the ruined baths; discovering the palace complex of Domitian, the houses of Augustus and Livia and the Renaissance Farnese Gardens.

Visiting the preserved city of Pompeii, with its view into the lives of Roman citizens; envisioning the grandeur of Pompeii's forum; exploring mansions and bakeries; stopping at the theater and arena; visiting the Villa of Mysteries.

Learning about the history of the epicenter of Rome's empire; visiting key sites of the forum, including the Temple of Venus and Roma; stopping at the Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine and the House and Temple of the Vestal Virgins.

Exploring the highlights of the Roman Forum and grasping the functions of the Basilica Aemilia and the Basilica Julia; visiting pagan shrines; learning the stories of the Church of Saints Mark and Martina and the Mamertine Prison.

Delving into the history of a famous street and how it was named; visiting the Palazzo Doria Pamphili, the Palazzo Odescalchi and the Palazzo Colonna; learning about the lives of princely families; discovering the frescoes of the Galleria Sciarra.

A symbol of Rome, the Trevi Fountain is a showpiece for Baroque papal power; walking to the Piazza Quirinal and visiting its two majestic Baroque palaces; stopping at the churches by Bernini and Borromini, highlighting Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Walking down the Via Veneto to Bernini's Fontana Tritone; the massive Palazzo Barberini, now an art museum; the picturesque Spanish Steps area; the Villa Medici, the elegant Via Condotti and the great Palazzo Borghese, a lavish princely dwelling.

The Piazza Montecitorio comprises the political heart of Rome; the Palace of Montecitorio houses the Italian parliament; the storied Palazzo Chigi; the Temple to Hadrian; the sublime interior of the church of Sant'Ignazio; the Solarium Augusti.

The iconic Pantheon, the resting place of Raphael and other celebrated Italians; architectural treasures including Gothic and Renaissance churches en route to the teeming Piazza Navona; the Palazzo della Cancelleria, a fine early Renaissance palace.

The Piazza Farnese, one of Rome's most majestic squares; the Palazzo Spada, and its ingenious Borromini interior; one of Rome's greatest jewels, the Villa Farnesina; two hugely important ancient sites, the Mausoleum of Augustus and the Ara Pacis.

The church of Santa Maria del Popolo features magnificent frescoes; the Villa Museo Borghese's masterworks of Bernini, Titian and Caravaggio; the papal basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano; the Scala Santa; the three-level church of San Clemente.

The history of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, an important repository of art in the Western world; the superlative Rooms of Raphael and Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling; the Renaissance Basilica of Saint Peter, the seat of Roman Catholicism.

En route to Florence, discovering three idyllic Italian towns; Orvieto and its glorious cathedral and intact medieval quarter; the UNESCO world heritage site of Siena, a medieval time capsule; the exquisite San Gimignano comprises dramatic towers.

The history of the feudal clans and merchant class that build Florence; the Uffizi is a great repository of art; the imposing Palazzo Vecchio, with its dramatic Medici history; the Orsanmichele, a building central to the medieval Florentine economy.

The magical Piazza del Duomo encompasses all of Florence's rich history; the vast Duomo, its famous dome; the Baptistery's extraordinary doors; Ghiberti's masterpiece; the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, home to treasures including the superb Medici Chapel.

Florence's Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David; the preaching church of Santa Croce, which contains a spectrum of artistic riches, including works of Donatello, Giotto, and della Robbia; the Pazzi Chapel, a masterwork of architectural geometry.

Traveling the streets of Florence; beginning with the Via del Proconsolo; enjoying architectural and historical treasures such as the Abbey of Florence, Dante's house and the Museum of the Old Florentine House; reaching the Ponte Vecchio.

Learning the history of the Palazzo Pitti; focusing on the Palatine Gallery, a treasury of Western culture featuring Flemish and Italian masterpieces of painting; savoring the delights of the Boboli Gardens, a Renaissance and Baroque paradise.

Hearing the story of the house of Bianca Cappello; exploring the great basilica of Santa Maria del Santo Spirito, with its altar canopy and 38 family chapels; enjoying the decoration of the Brancacci Chapel, an example of Renaissance painting.

Beginning at the Ponte Santa Trinita bridge; grasping its political and civic symbolism; walking the Via Tornabuoni to Santa Maria Novella; exploring the complex's great preaching church, with artistic treasures including the Tornabuoni Chapel.

Viewing the frescoes of the Green Cloister and the Spanish Chapel; visiting Europe's oldest operating pharmacy; the Medici Fortezza da Basso fortress; exploring the Basilica of San Lorenzo, whose Old Sacristy is a masterwork.

Discovering Michelangelo's New Sacristy, burial place of Medici nobles; taking in the Chapel of the Princes, resting place of the Medici monarchs; viewing the Laurentian Library, pride of the Medici clan; the history of Florence's old markets.

Traveling the Borgo Ognissanti; admiring elegant palaces on the way to the church and monastery of Ognissanti; enjoying the beauties of the Cascine Park and the Bardini Gardens; visiting the Jewel Villa, where Galileo lives.

Visiting one of Italy's most beautiful Romanesque churches; the artistic genius of the Chapel of the Cardinal of Portugal; traveling to the hillside town of Fiesole, with its Villa Medici, Romanesque cathedral and views over the city of Florence.

Stopping at the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria; beginning with Arezzo, with its Piazza Grande and churches; discovering the guildhalls, Palace of the Priors and papal fortress of Perugia; Assisi's Temple of Minerva and Church of St. Francis.

Contemplating the political and commercial history of Venice; learning about the Molo, Venice's quayside entry point; the Doge's Palace, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture; the Basilica di San Marco, a monument to Venetian glory.

Taking account of the Renaissance Procuratie Nuove, which houses Venice's Procurators and Napoleon's palace; discovering the clock tower; viewing artistic treasures adorning the exterior of the Basilica; Venice's historic cisterns and wells.

The magnificence of the basilica's interior; entering through the atrium; the symbolic floor mosaics and gilded mosaics of the vaults; the church's decoration; highlighting the sacristy doors, the Golden Altarpiece and the Cappella dei Mascoli.

Beginning at the Staircase of the Giants within the courtyard; entering the rooms of state by the Golden Staircase, leading to the ducal apartments; learning about the lifestyle and role of the Doge while viewing rooms glorifying Venetian power.

Entering the palace's Hall of the Great Council; learning about the Venetian republic's governing body of patrician representatives; visiting the palace prisons and the Bridge of Sighs en route to the Correr Museum of Venetian Civilization.

Exploring the Venetian waterways; viewing Palladio's churches; the Santa Maria della Salute dominates the waterfront; stopping at palace museums along the Grand Canal, such as the Galleria Accademia and the Casa Rezzonico.

The further riches of the Grand Canal; visiting waterside palaces; the former Jewish ghetto; viewing the sweep of historic commercial buildings from Venice's maritime past; exploring the San Marco district; learning the lore of the Venetian gondola.

Beginning at the Rialto bridge; walking the San Polo district; visiting streets and edifices recalling Venetian trading; finishing at two treasure houses of art; these are the great Franciscan church of the Frari and the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.

The treasure-laden Castello district; discovering one of history's greatest equestrian statues; the ducal tombs of the church of San Zanipolo; a jewel-box church; taking a vaporetto to picturesque islands in the lagoon, home to traditional crafts.