Miramare Castle in Trieste: the building site opened in 1856, the Castelletto, the study shaped like a ship’s cabin, the twenty-two-hectare park and the curse.
Trieste Cathedral of San Giusto: the Byzantine mosaics in the side apses, the Roman propylaeum inside the bell tower, the 5th-century floor and the castle.
The Risiera di San Sabba, the only Nazi camp with a crematorium in Italy: the history of the camp, Romano Boico’s memorial, opening hours and free entry.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 in the basilica of San Petronio in Bologna: the unfinished facade, Cassini’s meridian, the Bolognini chapel and Giovanni da Modena’s Hell.
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 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.
What to see in the Sansevero Chapel in Naples: Sammartino’s Veiled Christ, the Disillusion, the Modesty and the labyrinth floor, with hours and prices.
What to see at the Doge’s Palace in Venice: Tintoretto’s Paradise, Veronese’s ceilings, the Bridge of Sighs and the prisons, with 2026 hours and prices.
What to see in St Mark’s Basilica in Venice: the golden mosaics, the Pala d’Oro, the bronze horses, and how the compulsory timed slot works.
The Roman churches by Borromini you can visit for free: Sant’Agnese in Agone, St John Lateran, Sant’Andrea delle Fratte and his tomb at the Fiorentini.
Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza in Rome, Borromini’s masterpiece with the spiral lantern: the star-shaped plan, the restoration, and how to see it while it is closed.
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Borromini’s first and last building site: the rippling facade, the oval dome, the cloister and the crypt, with opening hours.
The Minerva elephant, the angels of Ponte Sant’Angelo, three palaces and the Bust of the Saviour: Bernini’s works outside the churches and the museums.
Bernini’s five works in Rome’s churches, all free to enter: Saint Teresa, Blessed Ludovica, the Raimondi Chapel, Sant’Andrea and Santa Bibiana.
Baldachin, Cathedra, colonnade, two papal tombs, the St Longinus and the Scala Regia: what to look for in St Peter’s and in what order, with checked dates.
Masaccio’s Trinity, Ghirlandaio’s frescoes and Paolo Uccello’s Green Cloister: what to see at Santa Maria Novella, with opening hours and visiting rules.
The tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo, Giotto’s fresco cycles and Cimabue’s Crucifix: what to see in the basilica of Santa Croce, with current hours and prices.
Michelangelo’s New Sacristy, the mausoleum in semiprecious stone and the secret room: what to see at the Medici Chapels in Florence, with tickets and hours.
