Italy is an amazing country. You enter its territory and you would automatically begin to feel as if it’s a new lease of life, it is close to something that your heart has never witnessed. The voice of the country is one of absolute harmony with time. The country is not a big news churner. It keeps itself beyond the political, financial and social heat of the world (since the times of Fascism) but still those who visit Italy are invariably sold to it.

Myriad structures, monuments, themes and places alike complete the panorama that Italy is. Leaning Tower of Pisa is a huge tourist attraction. It always has been. Constructed in the last few decades of the 12^th century, the Pisa is one of the most innovative works of history. It also has been a raging curiosity as it tilts toward the ground. This is why it has the name, Leaning Tower of Pisa. Earlier Pisa was quite heavily tilted towards the ground. It was more or less a scientific miracle how it could still stand. An angle of slant of 3.97 degree from the vertical is no mean thing. In 1987 the structure was named a part of the Piazza de Miracoli UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Venice is quite an amazing city in itself, based on the Adriatic confluence with pushes a generous dose of water into the city, Venice remains inundated nearly all the year long. Venetian Gondolas are a prime tourist attraction. They run through the fiber of the city and cover various streets, arcades, shops and houses. The gondolas are really worth traveling on. Cutting laterally is an arc of Venetian houses. Few reek in splendor and few are modest works.

Italy has been home to few of the top sculptors, painters and educationists of recent times. Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel is a treat in fresco painting to this day. The chapel is a top tourist destination and the fresco is aligned to various motifs from Jesus Christ’s life.

Leonardo Da Vinci is another unbelievable person to have come out of the country’s yard. The most multifaceted artist simply oozed in painting and sculpting skills. His work Monalisa and Last Supper are the most celebrated works of painting even to this day.

Lot many libraries, theaters, and museums flourish in the country. Each gives it a soul of its own. Roberto Benini’s life is Beautiful and Federico Fellini’s various movies have been work of prime theatric and cinematic art having originated from this country.

Top 10 Sights

The Duomo

Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo or Cathedral, is the very heart of Florence, dominating the city with its massive dome. The dome, designed by Brunelleschi was the largest of its time, completed in 1436 without the use of scaffolding. The Duomo is clad in Multi-coloured marble and is visible all over the city - towering over the neighbouring buildings, or glimpsed looming at the end of a narrow medieval street. If you have the energy, climb the 463 steps to the top and enjoy magnificent views.

Baptistry Doors

There are 3 sets of beautiful and artistically important baptistery doors, the most significant being the east doors commissioned by Ghiberti in 1401, and depicting scenes from the New Testament. Seven leading artists of the time entered a competition to create the doors, and some of these examples are regarded as the first products of the Renaissance. Michelangelo named these doors "The Gate of Paradise". However, the ones in place are copies; the originals can be seen in Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (just behind the Duomo).

Ponte Vecchio

This famous bridge, literally the "Old Bridge", was built in 1345, and is the oldest in Florence. It has always accommodated workshops of one kind or another, though by 1600, the butchers, tanners and blacksmiths, who polluted the river with their offal and waste and caused a choking stench over the city, were evicted. The shops were renovated and rebuilt, and leased to the inoffensive jewellery trade. To this day, the bridge is lined with pretty shops selling modern, classic and antique jewellery to suit every budget. The bridge escaped the bombs of WW2, some say as a direct result of an order from Hitler, while others say the bomber pilot approached the bridge at sunset and could not bear to destroy such an ancient and beautiful structure. So he dropped his bombs elsewhere, out of harms way.

Galleria dell'Accademia

This is the Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1563, and the first European school to teach the techniques of drawing, painting and sculpture. Many of Michaelangelo's important works can be found in the Accademia, including a statue of St Matthew and the "Four Prisoners", dramatically depicting muscular figures struggling to escape from blocks

of stone. The most dominant work is the "David", Michaelangelo's magnificent, massive, nude classical statue of David, the biblical hero who killed Goliath. David, sculpted in marble in 1504, has recently been beautifully restored.

Palazzo Pitti

Started in 1457 for the banker Luca Pitti, this enormous building was intended to show the powerful Medici banking family that it had a worthy rival. Ironically, ongoing building costs bankrupted the Pitti heirs and the palace was bought by the Medicis who made it their main residence. The rooms are lavishly decorated and, today, exhibit many treasures from the Medici collections. The Renaissance style Boboli Gardens, are laid out behind the palace.

Uffizi Gallery

Originally a suite of offices for Duke Cosimo1, this is probably the oldest art gallery in the world. From about 1580, Cosimo's heirs began to use the building to exhibit art treasures belonging to the Medici family. Today, the gallery is laid out in such a way to guide the visitor through the development of Florentine art from the Gothic period to the High Renaissance, and beyond. A number of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures are also displayed.

Church of Sante Croce

Legend tells us that St Francis founded this church himself. The current building, started around 1294 to replace an older construction, is the biggest Franciscan church in the world. The beautiful, austere Gothic structure contains the tombs of several famous Florentines, including Michaelangelo and Galileo. There are also sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils.

Piazza della Signoria

This unique, spacious square is enhanced by the majestic Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's town hall (1322), and the Loggia dei Lanzi (1382), a graceful, airy loggia, housing famous statues by Cellini and Giambologna and ancient Roman statues of priestesses. Further sculptures in this unique square include an heraldic lion by Donatello, the spectacular Neptune Fountain by Ammannanti, Giambologna's statue of Cosimo 1 on horseback and a copy of Michaelangelo's David, all dating from the 1500's..

Piazza Michelangelo

The piazza is situated on a hill slightly south east of the city centre. It dates from 1860 and is home to copies of Michaelangelo's famous statues. There are far reaching views over the rooftops, spires, towers and domes of Florence, the largest being the rich, red dome of the Duomo itself. Beyond, lie the misty purple hills of Fiesole.

San Lorenzo Market

This outdoor market has an excellent selection of good quality and reasonably priced goods, such as leather gloves, jackets, belts and bags of all descriptions; scarves, pashminas and ties; painted trays; costume jewellery and Florentine souvenirs of every type.

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Bargello

Superb collection of beautiful Renaissance sculpture, including works by Michaelangelo, Donatello, Giambologna, Cellini and others.

Medici Tombs

 Adorned with some of Michaelangelo's finest works.

Casa Buonarotti

Michaelangelo's house for a short time, housing some of his personal belongings and works.

Palazzo Davanzati

Typical home of a wealthy Florentine family of the 1500's.

Church of Santo Spirito

 Augustinian church dating from 1250, with beautiful colonnaded aisles.

Church of San Lorenzo

 Parish church of the Medici family.

Church of Santa Maria Novella

 Gothic church housing important artworks.

Convent of San Marco

Beautiful, simple setting for a superb collection of devotional frescoes by Fra Angelico.

Brancacci Chapel

Frescoes depicting the life of St Peter, commissioned around 1424.

Mercato Centrale

Big, covered food market tucked away in the depths of the San Lorenzo market.

Ancient Rome boasts of ancient structures like the Roman Imperial Forums, which includes the Forum of Caesar, The Forum of Vespasian, which is otherwise known as the Temple of Peace and of course the Forum Trajan, which has been greatly preserved even after several centuries. Overlooking the forums is the the Palatine Hills and the Palace Complex, where the greatest people in Roman history and Roman Empire lived.

Besides the complex is the Circus Maximus, which was historically famous for having been a venue for racing chariots. This is also where roman emperors kept the citizens entertained by filling their stomach with food and their eyes with circus acts.

Colosseum is another spot that you should not exclude in your itinerary. The Colosseum, which can seat more than fifty thousand spectators, lie witness to a chapter in history where gladiators provided entertainment for a falling Roman Empire.

The Pantheon is another symbol of the Great Roman Empire. Commissioned by Hadrian, the temple boasts of a rotunda and a dome. This is actually part of the seven wonders of the Ancient World.

Another great architectural work is the Castel Sant Angelo, which is better known as Hadrian's Mausoleum. More than just a tomb, this tourist spot provides visitors a panoramic view of the Tiber. In previous centuries, the Castel was also used by Emperors as passageways in times of danger. The popes of the Vatican were also able to use the tunnels as it connects to the Vatican. Speaking of Vatican, never forget to include St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums in your list of places to visit. Although the Vatican is technically an autonomous state, going there is relatively easy and cheap when you are in Italy of course.

Palazzo dei Conservatori, a building constructed through the plans made by none other than Michaelangelo, and the Palazzo dei Museo Capitolino are two of the museums that you should visit. Both of these can be found in the Capitoline Hill, which was once a seat of power in the country. Even today, it remains to be the center of government.

Italy also has lots of Piazzas, one of which is the Piazza Venezia, where you will find the Palazzo Venezia, a museum quite famous for its collections of works of arts in the medieval and the Renaissance period. There is also a shopping district in the area of the Via del Corso is only an hour or two away.

Another beautiful piazza that you can visit is the Piazza Navona, where you will find a number of fountains including Bernini's La Fontana. There is also the Church of Sant'Angese, which you will definitely admire for its architectural design.

The Piazza de Spagna, on the other hand, features the famous Spanish Steps or what is called the Scalinata della Trinita' de Monti in Italian. The steps lead to the church in Trinita dei Monte.

Another tourist spot that you should not miss is the Trevi Fountain. Legend has it that people who manage to throw their coins inside the Fontana di Trevi will come back again to Italy.