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Italian villages
Manarola, Burano, Portofino, Bormio. The towns that make people move.
219 places
in Puglia's Itria Valley, southeast of Bari
Alberobello Trulli
— a town built to come apart, and never did.
on the Coral Riviera, in northwest Sardinia
Alghero
— the walls go gold when the sea takes the sun.
in the Dolomites, under the Sassolungo
Alpe di Siusi
— the green that runs all the way to the rock.
on the Amalfi Coast, at the top of the steps
Amalfi Cathedral
— the gold at the top of the climb.
on the cliffs above Amalfi, south of Naples
Amalfi Lemon Grove
— — the yellow that hangs in the shade above the sea.
in Aosta, the Roman town under the Alps
Aosta Roman Gate
— — still the way in, two thousand years on.
running south out of Rome
Appian Way
— the road that outlived the empire that built it.
on the Friulian plain, near the head of the Adriatic
Aquileia
— — the floor outlived the city.
just east of Amalfi, where the Dragone reaches the sea
Atrani
— — the sea, waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
in the Val d'Orcia, south of Siena
Bagno Vignoni
— — the square that has always been water.
in the Langhe hills, south of Alba
Barolo Wine Country
— the fog the grape was named for.
in Ravenna, near the Adriatic
Basilica of San Vitale
— a green meadow that has not faded in fifteen hundred years.
on the western edge of Assisi, above the Umbrian plain
Basilica of St Francis
— the hill they renamed when the saint came home.
in Rome, where the Appian Way begins
Baths of Caracalla
— the roof is gone, and the room still towers.
on the southwestern coast of Italy, between Vesuvius and Capri
Bay of Naples
— a coastline that lives under a volcano.
where Lake Como forks into two arms
Bellagio
— — evening, and the lake goes quiet on both sides.
above the Lombard plain, an hour from Milan
Bergamo Alta
— — the hundred strokes that still close the gates at ten.
below the cliffs of Anacapri, on Capri's north shore
Blue Grotto Capri
— the light comes up through the water, not down.
in Florence, up the hill behind the Palazzo Pitti
Boboli Gardens
— — the hill the Medici shaped into rooms.
in the old red city of Emilia-Romagna
Bologna Porticoes
— — the warm red shade the city walks under.
in the upper Valtellina, below the Stelvio Pass
Bormio Old Town
— — warm water under a town of cold stone.
in the upper Valtellina, below the Stelvio Pass
Bormio Old Town Winter
— — the hour the snow turns blue under the bell tower.
in Venice, between the palace and the prison
Bridge of Sighs
— the last of the daylight, through a narrow stone window.
north of Venice, across the lagoon
Burano
— the colour the fog could not take.
on the hill above Cagliari, in southern Sardinia
Cagliari Old Town
— the high town the light leaves last.
in old Naples, off Spaccanapoli
Cappella Sansevero
— a cloth that forgot it was stone.
off the southeast cliffs of Capri, in the Bay of Naples
Capri Faraglioni
— three towers the sea left standing.
in southern Umbria, above Terni
Cascata delle Marmore
— — a river the Romans taught to fall.
above the plains of Puglia, in southern Italy
Castel del Monte
— — a crown set down on a bare hill, and left.
on the Naples waterfront, in sight of Vesuvius
Castel dell'Ovo
— a yellow fortress the bay keeps.
above Lake Albano, in the hills southeast of Rome
Castel Gandolfo
— — the cool the city climbs the hill to find.
on the Naples waterfront, between the port and Piazza Municipio
Castel Nuovo
— — the white arch the dark towers hold.
on the Tiber's right bank, just below the Vatican
Castel Sant'Angelo
— the angel that sheathed its sword over the city.
on the north coast of Sicily, under the headland
Cefalù
— the headland gone gold above the roofs, just before dark.
in the hills between Florence and Siena
Chianti Vineyards
— the gold the cypress keeps after the light goes.
above the Tyrrhenian, in southern Basilicata
Christ the Redeemer of Maratea
— the figure that turns from the sea.
above Cortina, in the Dolomites
Cinque Torri in Winter
— — stone the snow can't put out.
high in the Dolomites, west of Cortina
Cinque Torri Summer
— the long gold a summer dusk leaves on pale stone.
above the Lazio badlands, north of Rome
Civita di Bagnoregio
— the town the valley is slowly taking back.
in Rome, where the Forum ends
Colosseum
— the ring the centuries kept half of.
in the lagoons of the Po Delta, south of Venice
Comacchio
— — the colour the lagoon keeps at dusk.
on the Adriatic coast, south of Ancona
Conero Riviera
— white cliff, green water, no road down.
on a headland above the Ligurian Sea, the middle of the five villages
Corniglia
— — the village the sea never climbed to.
high in the Dolomites, under the Tofane
Cortina d'Ampezzo
— — the hour the pale rock turns to rose.
on the left bank of the Po, between Milan and Mantua
Cremona
— the brick city where the violin was born.
in the clay hills south of Siena
Crete Senesi
— the bare hills the sea left behind.
on the lagoon at the south end of St. Mark's Square
Doge's Palace
— — pink marble lace above the water.
in old Mantua, south of Lake Garda
Ducal Palace of Mantua
— — a city behind one door.
high above Urbino, in Italy's Marche
Ducal Palace of Urbino
— two towers, and the valley falling away behind them.
above Trapani, on the western tip of Sicily
Erice
— the morning the cloud climbs the mountain.
in the walled center of Ferrara, north of Bologna
Este Castle
— red brick standing in the water it kept.
above old Florence, between the Arno and the hills
Florence Duomo
— — the dome the light keeps coming back to.
in San Polo, a few bridges west of the Rialto
Frari Basilica
— the gold at the end of the long brick dark.
in central Italy, west of Ancona
Frasassi Caves
— the cathedral the water left behind.
in Naples, across from the San Carlo opera house
Galleria Umberto I
— where the afternoon comes down through the glass.
in Milan, between the Duomo and La Scala
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
— the light a glass roof leaves on marble.
in the Vatican Palace, on the way to the Sistine Chapel
Gallery of Maps
— a country painted along its own walls.
the spur of the Italian boot, on the Adriatic
Gargano Coast
— white stone, and the blue it falls into.
on Italy's Ligurian coast, west of the Cinque Terre
Genoa Harbor
— — the lantern still burning at the harbour mouth.
in Abruzzo, the roof of the Apennines
Gran Sasso
— the last snow the south keeps.
the long S through Venice
Grand Canal
— — a street the water made.
on the coastal plain south of Salerno
Greek Temples of Paestum
— the gold a Greek temple keeps for evening.
on the slope of Monte Ingino, in Umbria
Gubbio
— — the winter the whole mountain turns to light.
outside Tivoli, an hour east of Rome
Hadrian's Villa
— — what an emperor built after he had seen the world.
below Vesuvius, on the Bay of Naples
Herculaneum
— where the wood should be ash, and isn't.
on a hilltop above the Adriatic, south of Ancona
Holy House of Loreto
— — a small house under a great dome.
in the Borromean Gulf, off Stresa
Isola Bella Lake Maggiore
— where bare rock was taught to bloom.
in old Verona, off Piazza delle Erbe
Juliet's Balcony
— the balcony the letters keep finding.
in the strait between Sardinia and Corsica
La Maddalena Archipelago
— wind-worked granite, and the sea holding every blue at once.
in Milan, a block from the Duomo
La Scala
— six tiers of gold, holding their breath.
high in the Dolomites of South Tyrol
Lago di Braies
— — green water, still enough to hold the mountain.
high in the Dolomites
Lago di Sorapis
— the blue the storm leaves behind.
high in South Tyrol, near the Austrian border
Lake Anterselva Antholzer See
— the eight minutes after the sun is gone.
between Como and Maggiore, on the Italian shore
Lake Lugano
— the still, dark water the mountains lean over.
high in the Dolomites, below the Tre Cime
Lake Misurina in Summer
— the morning the mountains lie still on the water.
in the Dolomites, on the road to the Tre Cime
Lake Misurina Winter
— — the mirror the cold lays flat.
in Piedmont, just west of Lake Maggiore
Lake Orta
— — the small lake the painters kept to themselves.
high in the Dolomites, above Cortina
Lake Sorapis Frozen in Winter
— where the blue waits out the winter.
high in the Dolomites, above Cortina d'Ampezzo
Lake Sorapis in Summer
— — a turquoise the snow gives back in July.
west of Perugia, low among the Umbrian hills
Lake Trasimeno
— — the flat silver the wind hasn't found yet.
south of Alba, in the long hills of Piedmont
Langhe Vineyards
— the rows the fog comes through.
in the Square of Miracles, in Tuscany
Leaning Tower of Pisa
— a fall that never finishes.
in the old centre of Lecce, in Italy's heel
Lecce Cathedral
— — honey stone, holding the light long after dark.
high in the Alps, a pass from the Swiss border
Livigno in Summer
— the few green weeks between two long winters.
high in upper Valtellina, near the Swiss border
Livigno in Winter
— the blue the cold leaves on the snow.
on the Ligurian coast, in the Cinque Terre
Manarola
— — the village the sun keeps last.
south of Grosseto, the last wild coast in Tuscany
Maremma Coast
— salt, pine, and a tower over an empty sea.
in Florence, a block north of the Basilica di San Lorenzo
Mercato Centrale
— the morning a city wakes for bread.
in Milan, southwest of the Duomo
Milan Navigli Canals
— — the water Milan kept when it covered the rest.
on the Po plain, between Bologna and Parma
Modena Cathedral
— Genesis, cut in marble that has gone the colour of honey.
rising over the rooftops of Turin
Mole Antonelliana
— — the spire that wouldn't stop rising.
in the hills above Palermo, Sicily
Monreale Cathedral
— where the walls keep the light.
on its hill above Cassino, southeast of Rome
Monte Cassino Abbey
— raised again, exactly where it fell.
on Lake Iseo, between Bergamo and Brescia
Monte Isola
— the slow walk to where the lake looks small.
high on a ridge, south of Siena
Montepulciano
— — a hill the colour of the wine it makes.
in the Tuscan hills between Siena and Florence
Monteriggioni
— a stone crown still holding the hill.
the northernmost of the Cinque Terre, on the Ligurian coast
Monterosso al Mare
— where a hard coast finally softens into sand.
above Catania, on the east coast of Sicily
Mount Etna
— — a mountain still writing itself.
on the Bay of Naples, east of the city
Mount Vesuvius
— a fire the bay has learned to live beside.
in the Venetian Lagoon, north of Venice
Murano
— the colour fire leaves in glass.
in southeastern Sicily, south of Syracuse
Noto
— the hour the stone turns gold.
the island heart of Syracuse, on Sicily's southeast coast
Ortygia Syracuse
— fresh water that rises at the edge of the sea.
on the tufa cliffs of southern Umbria
Orvieto Duomo
— the gold the evening finds in the stone.
downriver from Rome, where the Tiber meets the sea
Ostia Antica
— — the harbour the river left behind.
above the olive plain in Puglia, the heel of Italy
Ostuni
— — a white town above an old sea of olives.
at the eastern tip of Italy's heel, on the Adriatic
Otranto Cathedral
— the tree that grew across the whole floor.
above the Roman Forum, in the centre of Rome
Palatine Hill
— — the orange light on imperial brick.
southwest of Turin, in the old hunting woods
Palazzina di Stupinigi
— — the bronze stag still watching the woods.
in old Palermo, on Sicily's north coast
Palermo Cathedral
— a cathedral the centuries kept rebuilding.
in Vicenza, between Verona and Venice
Palladian Basilica
— green copper riding above the white arches.
high in the Dolomites, between the Sella massif and the Sassolungo
Passo Sella in Winter
— — the rose the rocks keep, then the blue.
high in the Dolomites, on the saddle below the Sassolungo
Passo Sella Summer
— the green the snow gives back, between two walls of stone.
on a hilltop in Umbria, central Italy
Perugia
— the hour the whole town walks the same street.
atop the Capitoline Hill, above the Roman Forum
Piazza del Campidoglio
— the star drawn in stone, laid four centuries late.
in old Siena, where three hills meet
Piazza del Campo
— a shell of warm brick, tilted toward the tower.
just inside Rome's old north gate, below the Pincio
Piazza del Popolo
— where the road from the north first becomes Rome.
in the old centre of Florence, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza della Signoria
— the colour bronze gets when it stays outside.
Arezzo's sloping square, in eastern Tuscany
Piazza Grande Arezzo
— — the square that leans into the late light.
in Rome's centro storico, just west of the Pantheon
Piazza Navona
— — the fountains running where the runners ran.
at the centre of Rome, below the Capitoline Hill
Piazza Venezia
— the white marble the evening turns to gold.
above the Arno, looking back at the duomo
Piazzale Michelangelo
— the hour Florence turns the colour of its rooftops.
on a ridge above the Val d'Orcia, in southern Tuscany
Pienza
— a whole town, drawn once and built at once.
on the field at Pisa, beside the leaning tower
Pisa Baptistery
— a single note the dome keeps for ten seconds.
in Florence, across the Arno from the Uffizi
Pitti Palace
— the hour the stone goes amber.
from the Alps to the Adriatic
Po River
— the slow water that made the plain.
on Puglia's Adriatic cliffs, south of Bari
Polignano a Mare
— — white houses at the exact edge of the blue.
the southern Apennines, where Basilicata meets Calabria
Pollino National Park
— — a pine that has held the ridge for twelve hundred years.
below Vesuvius, on the Bay of Naples
Pompeii Forum
— still open to the sky, still facing the mountain.
in the hills of Umbria, above the Tessino gorge
Ponte delle Torri
— the green falls away, and the stone keeps crossing.
across the Arno, in old Florence
Ponte Vecchio
— the river under a street of gold.
on the northeast coast of Sardinia
Porto Cervo
— — a coast that named a colour.
on the Ligurian coast, east of Genoa
Portofino
— — a half-ring of painted houses around water holding still.
on the Ligurian coast, just south of the Cinque Terre
Portovenere
— — the last stone the light leaves before the open sea.
on the Amalfi Coast, south of Naples
Positano
— a cliff the colour of fruit, just before dusk.
on the Amalfi Coast, between Positano and Amalfi
Praiano
— — where the coast holds the last of the sun.
on the floor of Val di Fiemme, under the Latemar
Predazzo Ski Jump
— — the held breath at the top of the in-run.
on the toe of Italy, across the strait from Sicily
Reggio Calabria Seafront
— where Italy stops to watch Sicily.
across the Grand Canal, in old Venice
Rialto Bridge
— one white arch, and the whole canal beneath it.
on the cliffs of the Cinque Terre
Riomaggiore
— houses painted to be found from the sea.
high in Abruzzo's Gran Sasso, above the Navelli plain
Rocca Calascio
— stone the evening light won't let go of.
just west of the Colosseum, in old Rome
Roman Forum
— the floor of an empire, open to the sky.
on Piazza Castello, in the old centre of Turin
Royal Palace of Turin
— the gilded rooms a kingdom left behind.
above the Susa Valley, west of Turin
Sacra di San Michele
— — a thousand years of stone, above the valley fog.
above the Aniene, east of Rome
Sacro Speco Subiaco
— a monastery the cliff agreed to hold.
above the Val d'Elsa, between Florence and Siena
San Gimignano
— the towers that outlived their century.
on its own island across the basin from Piazza San Marco
San Giorgio Maggiore
— the morning catches the white before St. Mark's.
on the hill above the Arno in Florence
San Miniato al Monte
— the chant rising as Florence goes dark.
east of the Duomo, near the Arno
Santa Croce Basilica
— where Galileo lies beside Michelangelo.
at the mouth of the Grand Canal, across from San Marco
Santa Maria della Salute
— a vow the city kept in white stone.
on the Esquiline Hill, above Roma Termini
Santa Maria Maggiore
— a Roman August that remembers snow.
in the south of Italy, an hour from the Adriatic
Sassi di Matera
— a hillside that turns to lamplight.
in Padua, half an hour west of Venice
Scrovegni Chapel
— a chapel where the sky is the ceiling.
high in the Dolomites, above Val Gardena
Seceda Ridge
— — the meadow that ends at a wall of stone.
in central Milan, between the Duomo and Parco Sempione
Sforza Castle
— — the red brick the dukes left standing.
on a thin peninsula in southern Lake Garda
Sirmione Lake Garda
— a town the lake holds on three sides.
inside the Vatican walls, behind St. Peter's
Sistine Chapel
— — the inch between two fingers.
across the Bay of Naples from Vesuvius
Sorrento
— a town of lemons above a bay that holds Vesuvius.
through the old centre of Naples
Spaccanapoli
— laundry, stone, and the long shade.
in Rome, above Piazza di Spagna
Spanish Steps
— — the morning the azaleas come back.
on the Caelian Hill in Rome
St John Lateran Basilica
— — the first of all the churches, still Rome's cathedral.
at the lagoon's edge in Venice
St Mark's Square
— the square the tide turns to mirror.
in Vatican City, across the Tiber from old Rome
St Peter's Basilica
— — travertine holding the last of the light.
across the Tiber from old Rome, inside Vatican City
St Peter's Square
— the stone arms held open for four centuries.
in Venice, at the head of Piazza San Marco
St. Mark's Basilica
— the gold the lagoon-light keeps finding.
in the Ortler Alps of northern Italy, near the Swiss border
Stelvio Pass
— — forty-eight turns into the thinning air.
in the Ortler Alps of northern Italy, near the Swiss border
Stelvio Pass Winter
— — the road the snow takes back.
in the Aeolians, north of Sicily
Stromboli
— the fire that keeps its own time.
in the Marmilla hills of southern Sardinia
Su Nuraxi Nuraghe
— — stone that stood when the world was still bronze.
in the Abruzzo, between the Maiella and Morrone
Sulmona
— — the morning the veil falls.
on Monte Tauro, above the Ionian Sea
Taormina Greek Theatre
— — the stage opens onto a volcano.
in old Rimini, two streets north of the Arch of Augustus
Tempio Malatestiano
— where a Renaissance held its breath.
in the Val di Fiemme, on the valley floor below Tesero
Tesero Cross-Country Meadow
— — the green the snow waits to find.
in the Val di Fiemme, under the Latemar
Tesero Cross-Country Trails
— — the long blue between two breaths.
north of Venice, across the lagoon
Torcello
— the gold the city left behind.
in the old Imperial Forums of Rome
Trajan's Column
— — a story carved in marble, still climbing.
on the slope of the Quirinal, above the Imperial Forums
Trajan's Market
— the brick the afternoon settles into.
high above Misurina, in the eastern Dolomites
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
— three towers cut from the same sky.
in central Rome, a short walk east of the Pantheon
Trevi Fountain
— the corner where the city opens into water.
in the Veneto, half an hour north of Venice
Treviso Canals
— — green water still turning the medieval wheels.
on Calabria's Tyrrhenian coast
Tropea
— a church on a rock, a town on a cliff.
south of Livorno, the long line to Bolgheri
Tuscan Cypress Avenue
— — five kilometres of cypresses, perfectly straight.
in the old centre of Bologna, where the porticoes start
Two Towers of Bologna
— the lean the city kept upright.
in Florence, between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Arno
Uffizi Gallery
— — the offices Florence kept for its paintings.
south of Siena, in southern Tuscany
Val d'Orcia
— — the light the Sienese painters worked from.
north of Trento, in the Dolomites
Val di Fiemme
— — a long white track through the violin forest.
north of Trento, in the Dolomites
Val di Fiemme Summer
— — a summer in the forest the violins came from.
in the Brenta Dolomites, below Madonna di Campiglio
Vallesinella Waterfalls
— the meltwater the rock kept all winter.
on a ridge above Agrigento, in southern Sicily
Valley of the Temples
— — stone the wind has been polishing for 2,500 years.
behind St. Peter's, on Vatican Hill
Vatican Gardens
— half the city, kept for walking.
in the east of Venice, past the Riva degli Schiavoni
Venetian Arsenal
— a brick city Venice keeps to herself.
in Cannaregio, north of the Grand Canal
Venetian Jewish Ghetto
— the small square the world borrowed a word from.
on the Ligurian coast, between Monterosso and Corniglia
Vernazza
— the colour the sea has been trying to fade.
in old Verona, west of Venice
Verona Arena
— pink stone the night fills with song.
above the Spanish Steps, on the Pincian Hill
Villa Borghese Gardens
— — the hour the domes go gold.
above Ravello, on the Amalfi Coast
Villa Cimbrone
— marble busts, and the sea behind them.
above Tivoli, an hour east of Rome
Villa d'Este Tivoli
— the sound of water arranged like a garden.
on a wooded peninsula of Lake Como
Villa del Balbianello
— a loggia alone above the water.
at the edge of Pompeii, under Vesuvius
Villa of the Mysteries
— the red the ash kept whole.
high in the Tuscan hills above the Cecina valley
Volterra
— the way light walks through stone.
in Tuscany, just inland from Pisa
Walls of Lucca
— the wall the war never came to.
on the eastern coast of Sardinia
Cala Goloritzé
— — a cove the landslide left.
in the Lucanian Dolomites of southern Italy
Castelmezzano
— a village the rock made room for.
high in the Alps of northeast Italy
Dolomites Snowfield
— — the rose the snow keeps after the sun is gone.
deep in South Tyrol's Antholz Valley
Lake Anterselva in Winter
— the colour the cold leaves behind.
in Lombardy's Valle Sabbia, west of Lake Garda
Lake Idro
— a deep blue the famous lakes forgot.
in the Brenta Dolomites of Trentino, in northern Italy
Madonna di Campiglio Winter
— — the floodlit slope, the rest of the valley dark.
above the Val d'Orcia, south of Siena
Montalcino Fortress
— — where Siena went on, after Siena fell.
in Parma's cathedral square, west of Bologna
Parma Baptistery
— — pink stone, holding the late light.
in the Val di Fiemme, under the Latemar
Predazzo Ski Jump in Summer
— — the tower waiting on November.
in the Gargano of northern Puglia
San Giovanni Rotondo
— a still hill town the world keeps coming to.
in southern Tuscany, in the Maremma hills below the village
Saturnia Hot Springs
— — warm water on white stone, all winter.
on Sicily's northwest coast, where the Zingaro begins
Scopello
— — two stones the bay still keeps.
on the south side of Venice, facing Giudecca
Zattere
— — the side of Venice that keeps the afternoon.
Italy
Bay of Naples
Italy
Castel dell'Ovo
Italy
Castel Nuovo
Italy
Galleria Umberto I
Italy
Spaccanapoli
Italy
St Mark's Square
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