When considering Italy’s most exhilarating and newsworthy locations, it is really hard to name the best Italy travel attractions. However, you can’t ignore the icons, so here are 10 outstanding locations that will stay in your memory as summoning of all that is unique and significant about Italy today.

Amalfi Coast
There are many stunning maritime regions, but the Amalfi Coast, unfolding along the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula, in the province of Salerno, has many fabulous towns with a rich coastal history. The Cathedral of Amalfi, actually two churches with an old crypt, is astounding. Be certain to take a boat to the Grotta dello Smeraldo.

Assisi
Set in the province of Perugia, in the Umbrian region, Assisi became a Christian small town in 238 AD and became known in the 11th century, when St. Francis founded his monastery there. Today, the city is a World Heritage Site where you can get cultural, historical, as well as spiritual rebirth.

Florence
Florence, once the center of medieval European trade and finance, is not only a treasure-trove of art and architecture, but also a colorful city with its own charm that attracts students, keen shoppers and art lovers. Renaissance artwork thrived here, and the city raised the talents of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Don’t miss Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s oldest bridge, with its many specialty stores. In summertime, the bridge is crowded with street kiosks, performers, portrait painters, and those who come to take in the atmosphere.

Leaning Tower of Pisa
Pisa’s wonderful leaning bell tower dates from 1173. Although the construction stretched over 200 years, the famous lean evolved not long after the tower was completed. For obvious causes, perhaps, the designer still continues to be unknown. Efforts to straighten the tower, or at least stop its tendency for inclination, have stopped short of making it vertical, so it will likely to retain its distinctive lean for years to come.

The Colosseum
Rome’s 2000-year-old Colosseum, one of Italy’s most known buildings, was once the arena for chariot races, gladiatorial battles, and gruesome exhibits held in the name of ‘entertainment’. Although the massive construction is today a ruin, it once could seat up to 45,000 spectators, on its four levels, while the rooms for performers and animals were underneath the big arena.

Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums, 12 building complexes with over 1,400 rooms and galleries, showcase the many masterpieces in the Vatican collection, including the famed Michaelangelo ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Don’t miss the Etruscan Museum, the Raphael Rooms and Loggias, and the Egyptian Museum.

The Pantheon
The huge dome of the Pantheon, in Rome, is a typical turning point, along with the fountain that decorates the front entering. The construction houses the tombs of Italy’s first two kings, and the Renaissance artist, Raphael. It is one of the world’s greatest lasting examples of Roman architecture.

The Spanish Steps
Rome’s well-known Spanish steps or ‘Scalinata di Spagna’, are at their best in May when the colorful golden azaleas are flowering. Leading from the Piazza di Spagna, to the beautiful Trinita dei Monti church, the steps have long been a meeting point, dating from the 18th century when fascinating women assembled there in the hope of being taken as artist’s models.

Pompeii
This partly entombed Roman city, near Naples, in the region of Campania, was buried in ash, when Mt Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, and is now one of the world’s great archeological treasures. Many of Pompeii’s streets and buildings have been uncovered and the lives of its people, whose possessions and quarters were preserved by the ash, look blocked in time.

Venice
As you stroll beside the many canals and watercourses of Venice, you have to enquire how such a city could endure as it does, built over water. Venice’s main transportation, the Grand Canal, is lined with buildings, and all kinds of boats run the waterways. The Ponte di Rialto, right in the centre of the city, spans the Grand Canal. Brilliant architecture is everywhere, and the Piazza San Marco, the city’s main square, is bordered by the attractive Basilica di San Marco, which gives the Square its name, and the Palazzo Ducale, the Doge’s Palace, once the hub of administration. Sit outside one of the city’s many cafes and enjoy the fantastic atmosphere.