Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo: the Triumph of Death painted for a hospital, Antonello da Messina’s Virgin Annunciate and Carlo Scarpa’s 1954 installation.
The oratories of Giacomo Serpotta in Palermo: the stuccoes of Santa Cita with the battle of Lepanto, and San Lorenzo with its Caravaggio stolen in 1969.
Monreale cathedral: the gold-ground mosaics of William II, the apse Pantocrator and the cloister with its 228 paired columns, with opening hours and tickets.
Palermo cathedral: the porphyry sarcophagi of Roger II and Frederick II, the column with the Quranic verse and the 1801 meridian line by Giuseppe Piazzi.
The Palatine Chapel in Palermo: the Byzantine mosaics of Roger II, the muqarnas ceiling with its Arabic inscriptions and the restoration now under way.
The monumental cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa: Caterina Campodonico’s statue, Monteverde’s angel, Mazzini’s tomb and how to visit it.
Villa del Principe in Genoa, Andrea Doria’s home: Perino del Vaga’s Fall of the Giants, the Lepanto tapestries and the garden by the sea.
Genoa cathedral: the unexploded shell of 1941, the Sacro Catino, the platter of the Baptist and the Treasury Museum designed by Franco Albini.
The works to see in the Strada Nuova Museums in Genoa: Caravaggio’s Ecce Homo, the Van Dyck portraits of the Brignole Sale and Paganini’s violin.
The Rolli palaces of Genoa: what the list of state lodgings was, why Rubens drew them in 1622 and when you can actually get inside them.
What to see in Palermo in 2 days: the Palatine Chapel, the cathedral with the imperial tombs, Monreale, the Serpotta oratories and Palazzo Abatellis.
A two-day itinerary in Genoa through the Rolli palaces, the Strada Nuova Museums, San Lorenzo cathedral, Villa del Principe and Staglieno.
The works of the Pinacoteca Giaquinto in Bari: Bellini’s San Pietro Martire with the drawings on its back, the Vivarini, Tintoretto, Guercino and Giaquinto.
The Swabian Castle of Bari, from Roger II to Bona Sforza, and the Gypsotheque with the 130 plaster casts taken in 1911 from cathedrals all over Puglia.
The Exultet scrolls of Bari: eleventh-century parchments with the images painted upside down, the praise of the bees and two Byzantine emperors who date them.
The cathedral of San Sabino in Bari: the rose window and its monsters, the solstice light, the Odegitria in the crypt and the Byzantine city dug out beneath it.
The basilica of San Nicola in Bari: the 1087 translation, the Porta dei Leoni, the cathedra of Elia, the crypt with its Orthodox altar and Bona Sforza’s tomb.
What to see in Bari in 2 days: San Nicola, the cathedral of San Sabino, the Exultet scrolls, the castle and the Pinacoteca, with hours and the day to avoid.
Visiting the basilica of Superga in Turin: Juvarra’s dome, the Royal Tombs, the climb to the dome, the rack tram, with hours and prices checked on site.
Guarino Guarini’s Chapel of the Holy Shroud in Turin: the dome of stacked arches, the 1997 fire, the restoration, and why the cloth itself is not on display.
What to see at the Musei Reali in Turin: Juvarra’s Scala delle Forbici, the Royal Armoury, the Van Eyck in the Sabauda, and why Leonardo is not on show.
The Mole Antonelliana and the National Museum of Cinema in Turin: the building site that ran away, the Aula del Tempio, the panoramic lift, hours and prices.
The works to see at the Museo Egizio in Turin: the intact tomb of Kha and Merit, the Turin King List, the temple of Ellesiya and the rebuilt Gallery of Kings.
What to see in Turin in 2 days: the Museo Egizio, the Musei Reali, Guarini’s Chapel of the Shroud, the Mole and Superga, with hours, prices and closing days.
The portico of San Luca in Bologna: the arches traditionally called 666, the 3,600 metres and 489 steps to the sanctuary, with hours and the climbable dome.
The Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Niccolò dell’Arca in Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna: the seven figures, the running Magdalene, hours and prices.
What to see in the Santo Stefano complex in Bologna: the Holy Sepulchre, the courtyard of Pilate, the Trinity and the cloister, with hours and closing day.
What to see at the Pinacoteca Nazionale of Bologna: Raphael’s Saint Cecilia, Giotto’s polyptych, the Carracci, Guido Reni and Lavinia Fontana.
What to see in the basilica of San Petronio in Bologna: the unfinished facade, Cassini’s meridian, the Bolognini chapel and Giovanni da Modena’s Hell.
What to see in Venice in 2 days: St Mark’s, the Doge’s Palace, the Accademia and the Frari, with bookings, vaporetto fares and the access contribution.
How to visit the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua: compulsory booking, 15-minute slots, prices, and how to read Giotto’s cycle of frescoes wall by wall.
What to see in Bologna in 2 days: San Petronio, the Pinacoteca, the Seven Churches and the portico of San Luca, with hours, prices and the towers closed.
What to see in the Frari basilica in Venice: Titian’s Assunta and Pesaro Altarpiece, the friars’ choir, the Canova monument and the Donatello, with hours.
What to see in Naples cathedral: the chapel of the treasure of San Gennaro, the early Christian baptistery and the basilica of Santa Restituta, with hours.
The works to see at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice: Giorgione’s Tempest, Veronese’s Feast, Bellini, Tintoretto and Carpaccio, with opening hours.
What to see at the Capodimonte museum in Naples: Caravaggio’s Flagellation, Bellini’s Transfiguration, the Farnese collection and the park, with hours.
