Must-see attractions in Northwestern Italy

  • Egypt, Thebes, Tomb of Kha, The offer and worshiping to Osiris seated on a throne, fragment of the book of the dead, two column papyrus with hieroglyphs and polychrome drawings, eighteenth dynasty

    Museo Egizio

    Turin

    Opened in 1824 and housed in the austere Palazzo dell'Accademia delle Scienze, this Turin institution houses the most important collection of Egyptian…

  • Outside of Castello di Rivoli castle.

    Castello di Rivoli

    Turin

    Some 21km west of Turin, the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art is a giant of modern art in Piedmont. Its ambition and reach, not to mention…

  • Palace and park of Venaria, residence of the Royal House of Savoy, Piedmont (Italy); Shutterstock ID 209445400; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Reggia di Venaria Reale

    Turin

    OK, it may not enjoy the weighty publicity of its French counterpart, but this is one of the largest royal residences in the world, rescued from ruin by a…

  • Fort Bard in Italy

    Forte di Bard

    Valle d'Aosta

    A fort has existed here for millennia and the current 1830s Savoy edifice is an imposing one, set high up upon a rocky escarpment at the jaws of the Valle…

  • Sacra di San Michele

    Sacra di San Michele

    Piedmont

    This Gothic-Romanesque abbey, brooding above the road 14km from Turin, has kept sentry atop Monte Pirchiriano (962m) since the 10th century. It housed a…

  • At Genoa, Italy , On april/01/2018, Courtyard of Doria Tursi Palace ; Shutterstock ID 1093671710; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Musei di Strada Nuova

    Genoa

    Skirting the northern edge of the old city limits, pedestrianised Via Garibaldi (formerly Strada Nuova) was planned by Galeazzo Alessi in the 16th century…

  • Grotta di Lord Byron in Portovenere on the Ligurian coast.

    Grotta di Byron

    Porto Venere

    At the end of the quay, a Cinque Terre panorama unfolds from the rocky terraces of a cave formerly known as Grotta Arpaia. Lord Byron once swam across the…

  • TURIN, ITALY - CIRCA JANUARY 2017: Vintage red Ferrari car at Museo Nazionale dell Automobile (meaning National Automobile Museum car museum); Shutterstock ID 564700480; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile

    Turin

    As the historic birthplace of one of the world's leading car manufacturers – the ‘T’ in Fiat stands for Torino – Turin is the obvious place for a car…

  • Palazzo Reale

    Turin

    Statues of the mythical twins Castor and Pollux guard the entrance to this eye-catching palace and, according to local hearsay, also watch over the…

  • Cappella del Barolo, a little colorful church on a summer's day.

    Cappella del Barolo

    Langhe, Roero & Monferrato

    Alba's winemaking-restaurateuring Ceretti family has commissioned a number of site-specific artworks in the region and this never-consecrated chapel is…

  • Roof garden of the Royal Palace (Palazzo Reale) (UNESCO World Heritage List, 2006), Genoa. Italy, 17th century.

    Palazzo Reale

    Genoa

    If you only get the chance to visit one of the Palazzi dei Rolli (group of palaces belonging to the city's most eminent families), make it this one. A…

  • Museo Casa Mollino

    Turin

    Architect-designer-artist Carlo Mollino is perhaps Turin's most intriguing son and a quintessentially 20th-century Torinese. The little-known Museo Casa…

  • Cantine Bosca

    Langhe, Roero & Monferrato

    Some 28km south of Asti, the Cantine Bosca is one of several historic wineries that produce the famed sparkling wine of the area (the DOCG Asti Spumante,…

  • The Basilica of Superga is a church in the vicinity of Turin. It was built from 1717 to 1731  by Filippo Juvarra, at the top of the hill of Superga.

    Basilica di Superga

    Turin

    Vittorio Amedeo II's 1706 promise, to build a basilica to honour the Virgin Mary if Turin was saved from besieging French and Spanish armies, resulted in…

  • Genoa, Italy. Porta Soprana.

    Old City

    Genoa

    The heart of medieval Genoa – bounded by ancient city gates Porta dei Vacca and Porta Soprana, and the streets of Via Cairoli, Via Garibaldi and Via XXV…

  • Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin; Shutterstock ID 156867308; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista

    Turin

    Turin's cathedral was built between 1491 and 1498 on the site of three 14th-century basilicas and, before that, a Roman theatre. Plain interior aside, as…

  • Boccadasse, a small sea district of Genoa, during the golden hour; Shutterstock ID 755753164; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Boccadasse

    Genoa

    When the sun is shining, do as the Genovese do and decamp for a passeggiata (late afternoon stroll) along the oceanside promenade, Corso Italia, which…

  • Green bower in Villa Hanbury Botanic Gardens, near Ventimiglia.

    Giardini Botanici Hanbury

    Ventimiglia

    Established in 1867 by English businessman Sir Thomas Hanbury, the 18-hectare Villa Hanbury estate is planted with 5800 botanical species from five…

  • Inside San Pietro church in Portovenere.

    Chiesa di San Pietro

    Porto Venere

    This stunning wind- and wave-lashed church, built in 1198 in Gothic style, stands on the ruins of a 5th-century palaeo-Christian church, with its extant…

  • GENOA, ITALY, MARCH 13, 2016: View of a garden situated between palazzo bianco and palazzo doria tursi palace in Genoa, Italy; Shutterstock ID 483815368; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Palazzo Bianco

    Genoa

    Flemish, Spanish and Italian artists feature at Palazzo Bianco, the second of the triumvirate of palazzi that are together known as the Musei di Strada…

  • Park and garden of Villa Durazzo in Santa Margherita Ligure.

    Villa Durazzo

    Santa Margherita Ligure

    This exquisitely turned-out mansion and gardens, part of a 16th-century castle complex, overlooks the sea. In the lavish Italian gardens, you can take an…

  • The Arch of Augustus of Susa, a monument originally built at the end of the 1st century BC.

    Arco d'Augusto

    Piedmont

    The pristine and impressive triumphal Arch of Augustus, dating to 9BC, sits just outside the centre of town. It marks the transition of power between the…

  • Palazzo Rosso

    Genoa

    Lavishly frescoed rooms in Palazzo Rosso, part of the Musei di Strada Nuova, provide the backdrop for several portraits by Van Dyck of the local Brignole…

  • Castello d'Albertis

    Genoa

    Dating from the late 19th century, this neo-Gothic beauty does indeed resemble a castle, and houses an astonishing array of ethnographic artefacts from…

  • Museo Lavazza

    Turin

    Set in the architecturally striking new headquarters of the famed coffee chain, the Museo Lavazza takes you deep into the world of the heady caffeine…

  • Museo d'Arte di Palazzo Gavotti

    Savona

    Set amid two adjoining palazzi, Savona's premier art collection features an impressive collection of paintings dating all the way back to the 14th century…

  • Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli

    Turin

    On the rooftop of the Lingotto building, 3km south of the centre, this intimate gallery houses the personal collection of late Fiat head Gianni Agnelli,…

  • Piazza Castello

    Turin

    Turin's central square is lined with museums, theatres and cafes. The city's Savoy heart, although laid out from the mid-1300s, was mostly constructed…

  • Spianata Castelletto

    Genoa

    The best way to admire the beauty of Genoa is to head to the hills above the city centre. This leafy lookout provides some of the best views over la…

  • Juventus Museum

    Turin

    The state-of-the-art Juventus Stadium has a museum that will blind you with its silverware (32 Serie A titles – and the rest!) and proudly recounts how it…

  • Fondazione Merz

    Turin

    The Arte Povera powerhouse, Mario Merz, was born in Milan but spent most of his creative life in Turin. This foundation space, an evocative reworking of…

  • Museo del Vino a Barolo

    Langhe, Roero & Monferrato

    A capricious jaunt through the history of viticulture via light, film and installations, care of the imagination of Swiss designer François Confino (who…

  • La Pigna

    San Remo

    San Remo's little-visited old town is a labyrinth of quiet, twisting lanes set on a hilltop just above the bustling centre. Get there by taking Via Santo…

  • Fossola Beach

    Riomaggiore

    This small pebbly beach is immediately southeast of Riomaggiore marina. Take the short trail that leads just past the harbour to get here. The shore is…

  • Vernazza Harbour

    Vernazza

    Cinque Terre’s only natural harbour has breathtaking views out over the water, and provides the best open-air amusement in Vernazza. Here you can bask on…

  • Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime

    Piedmont

    Piedmont's largest park is home to spectacular landscapes, encompassing wildflower-filled grasslands, topaz lakes, shimmering glaciers and jagged mountain…

  • Fondazione Sandretto re Rebaudengo

    Turin

    This classic white-cube contemporary gallery space was created with Italian super curator Francesco Bonami and runs a great exhibition program showcasing…

  • Primo Piano

    Genoa

    A beautiful historical space that runs a program of modern and contemporary shows along interesting curatorial themes. The focus is often on photography…

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