Attractions

Siena
Palio di Siena The Palio di Siena is held annually on July 2 and August 16. A traditional medieval horse race that’s run around the Piazza del Campo, this event is attended by large crowds and is widely televised. Though often a brutal and dangerous competition for horse and rider alike, the city thrives on the pride this competition brings. This event is not without its controversy however, and recently there have been complaints about the treatment of the horses and the risk run by the riders. In order to better protect the horses, steps have been taken to make veterinary care more easily available during the main race.

The Duomo Siena's cathedral, the Duomo, is one of the great examples of Italian Romanesque architecture. Its main façade was completed in 1380, and its campanile and baptistery make a fine group. It is unusual for a Christian cathedral in that that its axis runs north-south. This is because it was originally intended to be the largest cathedral in existence, with a north-south transept and an east-west aisle, as is usual. After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall (which still exists and may be climbed by the public via an internal staircase) the money ran out and the rest of the cathedral was abandoned.

Piazza del Campo The shell-shaped Piazza del Campo, the town square which houses the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia, is another architectural treasure, and is famous for hosting the Palio horse race. The Palazzo Pubblico, itself a great work of architecture, houses yet another important art museum. Included within the museum is Ambrogio Lorenzetti's series of frescos on the good government and the results of good and bad government and also some of the finest frescoes of Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti.

Florence
Florence has an attractive historic center, with some amazing architecture, including fine Renaissance palaces and the famous shop-covered bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. Home to some of the world's finest art and the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is the perfect place to see some of Italy’s most iconic attractions, sights and views. Whereas Venice is ideal for relaxing, Florence is made to be seen and heard.

The Ponte Vecchio: The Ponte Vecchio is the most beautiful of the bridges that cross the River Arno as it flows through the city of Florence. Its original structure dates from Roman Times, and both sides of the bridge are lined with gold and silversmiths shops. It's a popular tourist attraction because of the views it offers from its central porticoes. On the far side of the Ponte Vecchio you'll see the Medieval Mannelli Tower.

Uffizi Museum: The Uffizi Museum is probably Florence's most visited tourist attraction and features works by all the great Renaissance artists of Florence—such as Michelangelo, Della Robbia, Botticelli and Andrea del Sarto—as well as masterpieces by other world-renowned artists. The oldest museum in Europe, it was created from the core of the Medici art collections dating from the late 16th century. The museum features over 1,600 pieces of art that are exhibited in 45 rooms of the previous Palace of the Medici’s. Reservations are strongly recommended to avoid the long lines.

Accademia Gallery: One of the major sightseeing attractions of Florence, the Accademia Gallery is home to a very important collection of Florentine paintings, dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Today it's more famous for being the home of Michelangelo's David, which was moved here in 1873. For many visitors to Florence, this statue is the symbol of the Renaissance movement. Like the Uffizi museum, reservations are strongly recommended.

Boboli Gardens: The Boboli Gardens (Giardino di Boboli) are rich and extravagant pleasure-gardens with large expanses to explore, and photogenic views over Florence. The garden is dotted with statuary, fountains and a variety of features commissioned specially, or taken from the fabulous Medici art collections. The Boboli Gardens spread over the steep hillside behind the vast Pitti Palace, across the Arno from central Florence. Ideal for visiting if your tour takes place in the warmer months. The gardens are extremely vast, so be prepared to walk.

Il Duomo: Located in the Piazza Duomo, right in the heart of the city, this ancient cathedral stands adjacent to its bell tower, both available to climb; and if you don’t mind stairs, the view is worth the climb. You will be able to overlook the city and snap pictures that look like postcards from the highest building in Florence.

Perugia
Palazzo dei Priori (Town Hall) One of Italy's greatest buildings. The Collegio del Cambio has frescoes by Pietro Perugino, while the Collegio della Mercanzia has a fine later 14th-century wooden interior.
Basilica of San Domenico The basilica is located in the place where, in the Middle Ages, the market and the horse fair were held and where the Dominicans settled in 1234. The interior decorations were redesigned by Carlo Maderno, while the massive belfry was partially cut around mid-16th century. It houses examples of Umbrian art, including the precious tomb of Pope Benedict XI and a Renaissance wooden choir.

Pozzo Etrusco (Etruscan Well) Take a little side trip below the sidewalks of Perugia. The Etruscan well is dark, damp and atmospheric, but also an incredible example of the stonemason's art. Great cultures and empires fade away, but a well-designed piece of hydraulic engineering lasts forever.

Rome
Colosseum The Roman Colosseum is a tremendous amphitheater, the embodiment of both the grandeur and cruelty of the great Roman Empire. Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum hosted spectacular games that included gladiator exhibitions, fights between animals, prisoner executions and—strangely enough—naval battles.

Roman Forum Towering Ionic columns stretch proud and fragmented into the Italian sky and ancient porticoes stand guard over the empty shells of buildings that were once the centers of commerce, justice and worship for the city.

Pantheon Of all the great buildings constructed during the crest of the Roman Empire, only this one still stands. Pantheon history states that the interior of the roof is intended to symbolize the heavens, and the giant hole above is supposedly the eye of the gods.

Trevi Fountain The Trevi Fountain dominates a small square in the heart of the city near the Spanish Steps. The fountain entered pop culture thanks to the nighttime bathing scene in the film "La Dolce Vita" by Fellini, or for many Americans, the popular 1954 film “Three Coins in A Fountain.” This huge Baroque construction, inspired by sea mythology, took 30 years to build.

The Sistine Chapel The piece de resistance of the Vatican museum, the Sistine Chapel is the culmination of Michelangelo's finest work. Frescos detailing the life and times of both Jesus and Moses line the walls beneath the benevolent portraits of former popes.

The Vatican Museum Deep in the holy center of Vatican City, the Vatican Museum houses an enormous collection of art collected through its centuries of history, from Egyptian pieces to Etruscan ruins to Renaissance paintings and, of course, the legendary Sistine Chapel. Of all of the museums, not just in Italy but the world over, this one is not to be missed.