The UNESCO World Heritage in Italy includes about 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, of which 50 are World Heritage Sites and five are World Natural Heritage Sites.
Five of these UNESCO World Heritage sites are transboundary or transnational. The first World Heritage Site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List was the rock paintings in Valcamonica in the distant year of 1979, followed by the historic center of Rome, the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie of Milan, the historic center of Milan, the city of Venice and many others. The last World Heritage Site to be inscribed so far, in 2019, were the Prosecco hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene.
Italy, with its World Cultural and Heritage Sites, is the country with the most sites recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and listed on the World Heritage List.
The title of UNESCO World Heritage is awarded by the UNESCO organization and distinguishes sites, areas and places that meet certain cultural, archaeological or environmental characteristics. UNESCO is an international organization of the United Nations for education, science and culture and at the same time one of the 17 legally independent specialized agencies of the United Nations. It has its headquarters in the French capital, Paris.
The Italian UNESCOE World Heritage Sites are world famous places such as Venice, the Dolomites, the center of Verona and Rome, the city of Vicenza, Ferrara and the mouth of the Po, the historic centers of San Gimignano, Florence and Urbino, Villa Adriana and Villa D’Este in Tivoli; the archaeological excavations of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziatathe Sassi and the rock churches of Materathe beautiful Amalfi Coastthe Lipari Islands, the historical center of Naples and many, many more.
- Agrigento, the Valley of the Temples
- Alberobello and the Trulli
- Aquileia, the ruins and the basilica
- Assisi and the Basilica of St. Francis
- Barumini, the nuraghi
- Caserta, the Royal Palace and its Park
- Castel del Monte
- The Cilento National Park
- The Amalfi Coast
- Crespi d’Adda, the workers village
- The Dolomites, the pink mountains
- Val di Noto, the Baroque
- Venice and its lagoon
- Verona, city of Romeo and Juliet
- The city of Vicenza and Palladio’s villas
- Villa Adriana, the residence of the emperor
- Villa d’Este: The Triumph of Baroque
- The Medici Villas in Tuscany
- The Prosecco Hills
- The great spas of Europe – Montecatini Terme
- The arcades and porticoes of Bologna
- The fresco cycles of Padua from the 14th century
- Ferrara and the Po Delta
- Florence, the historic center
- Genoa, Strade Nuove and Palazzi dei Rolli
- Prehistoric pile dwellings
- Lipari Islands: The archipelago of volcanoes
- The Rhaetian Railway
- Langhe, Roero and Monferrato
- The necropolises of Tarquinia and Cerveteri
- The places of power of the Lombards
- The Sassi and the rock churches of Matera
- Modena, city of art, culinary & engines
- Rome, the eternal city / Colosseum
- Sacri Monti in Piedmont and Lombardy
- San Gimignano
- San Marino and Monte Titano
- Santa Maria delle Grazie and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper
- Siena, the historic center
- Monte San Giorgio, the fossils
- The volcano Etna
- Naples, the historic center
- Padua, the botanical garden
- Villa Romana del Casale, Piazza Armerina
- Pienza, an ideal city
- Pisa and the Piazza dei Miracoli
- Pompeii, the ancient city
- Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata
- Porto Venere and Cinque Terre
- Ravenna, the early Christian monuments
- Mantua and Sabbioneta
- Syracuse and the necropolis of Pantalica
- Turin and the royal residences of the Savoy family
- Urbino, the historic center
- Valcamonica and the rock art
- Val D’Orcia
- The ancient Italian beech forests
The Prosecco hills of Conegliano & Valdobbiadene
The Prosecco Hills - between the cities Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in which Province of Treviso, in which Veneto region, in the northeast of Italy - is an extraordinary area where a wine of international prestige is produced: a sparkling white...
Naples, magical port city
The southern Italian city of Naples, in the region of Campania, has the largest historical center in Europe and is a concentration of monuments ranging from Roman times to the Bourbon Empire. The old town of Naples is a mixture of history, art,...
The great spas of Europe – Montecatini Terme
In 2021, the Intergovernmental Commission on World Heritage decided to include the major spa towns of Europe in the UNESCO World Heritage List inclusion. "The Great Spa Towns of Europe" includes eleven cities in seven European countries: Baden near...
The arcades and porticoes of Bologna
The arcades and porticoes of BolognaThe city of Bologna, in the Emilia Romagna region, is officially the "city of arcades and porticoes". The porticoes of Bologna represent an important architectural and cultural heritage for the city and region...
