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🏰 Italy's most beautiful castles and palaces

100 places ordered by editorial score

  1. 1 Facade of the Royal Palace of Caserta seen from the garden path. Royal Palace of Caserta Caserta · Campania The Bourbon palace: 1,200 rooms, 1,742 windows and three kilometres of fountains uphill. 94
  2. 2 Front view of the historic Castel del Monte in Andria, Apulia, Italy. Castel del Monte Andria · Puglia Eight sides, eight towers, no moat: Frederick II's octagon on the Murge plateau. 92
  3. 3 View from the lagoon of the Doge's Palace and St Mark's Campanile in Venice. Palazzo Ducale Venice · Veneto The Palace, full stop: home of the doge, the magistracies and the prisons of the Serenissima. 92
  4. 4 Baroque facade and manicured gardens of the Reggia di Venaria Reale. Royal Palace of Venaria Venaria Reale · Piedmont The Savoy hunting palace brought back by the largest restoration site in Europe. 90
  5. 5 Miramare Castle in Trieste framed by pine trees overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. Miramare Castle Trieste · Friuli Venezia Giulia The house Archduke Maximilian left for the throne of Mexico, and never saw again. 88
  6. 6 Panoramic view of the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo surrounded by trees with mountains in the background. Palazzo dei Normanni e Cappella Palatina Palermo · Sicily An Arab muqarnas ceiling with 3,300 figures above Roger II's Norman chapel of gold mosaics. 88
  7. 7 Facade of the Ducal Palace in Urbino featuring its iconic twin towers in warm light Palazzo Ducale e Galleria Nazionale delle Marche Urbino · Marche Federico's studiolo, 3.60 by 3.35 metres of inlay, and Piero della Francesca's Flagellation. 88
  8. 8 Castel Sant'Angelo — Rome Castel Sant'Angelo Rome · Lazio Hadrian's mausoleum turned papal fortress and prison, now a national museum on the Tiber. 87
  9. 9 Illuminated facade of Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino in Via Garibaldi, Genoa Via Garibaldi e i Palazzi dei Rolli Genoa · Liguria The palaces where the Republic drew lots to decide who would house kings and envoys. 86
  10. 10 Palazzo Vecchio — Florence Palazzo Vecchio Florence · Tuscany Florence's seat of power since 1302: Arnolfo's tower, the Salone dei Cinquecento, a Roman theatre below. 85
  11. 11 The medieval fortress ruins of Rocca Calascio perched on a rocky hill in Abruzzo. Rocca Calascio Calascio · Abruzzo The highest fortress in the Apennines is a 10th-century military stronghold overlooking the Gran Sasso National Park. 84
  12. 12 Castello Estense with the statue of Girolamo Savonarola in Ferrara, Italy. Este Castle Ferrara · Emilia-Romagna Built in 1385 around four imposing towers, this moated medieval fortress is the Renaissance centerpiece of Ferrara. 83
  13. 13 low-angle view of the massive stone walls of the Forte di Bard perched on a rocky hill Bard Fortress Bard · Aosta Valley Rebuilt in the 19th century, this imposing Savoy fortress is a masterpiece of military engineering in the Aosta Valley. 82
  14. 14 View of Trento and surrounding mountains from the columned loggia of Castello del Buonconsiglio. Buonconsiglio Castle Trento · Trentino-South Tyrol Seat of the Prince-Bishops for five centuries, this is the largest fortified complex in the Alps and a symbol of Trento. 82
  15. 15 Castello Sforzesco — Milan Castello Sforzesco Milan · Lombardy The Sforza fortress with Leonardo's Sala delle Asse, now home to Milan's civic museums. 81
  16. 16 Domus Aurea — Rome Domus Aurea Rome · Lazio Nero's buried palace on the Oppian Hill: 150 frescoed rooms that stunned Raphael and Michelangelo. 81
  17. 17 palazzo del Quirinale — Rome palazzo del Quirinale Rome · Lazio Thirty popes, four kings and Italy's presidents have lived in this palace on Rome's highest hill. 81
  18. 18 Villa Farnesina — Rome Villa Farnesina Rome · Lazio Agostino Chigi's Trastevere villa, frescoed by Raphael, Peruzzi, Sodoma and Sebastiano del Piombo. 81
  19. 19 Stone outer walls and battlements of Castello di Fénis in Aosta Valley Fénis Castle Fénis · Aosta Valley A 14th-century pentagonal castle famous for its double crenellated walls and the frescoed inner courtyard. 80
  20. 20 Palazzo Medici Riccardi — Florence Palazzo Medici Riccardi Florence · Tuscany Cosimo turned down Brunelleschi's design because it was too fine. 80
  21. 21 Mura aureliane — Rome Mura aureliane Rome · Lazio Built in haste out of fear, and no one besieged them for over a century. 79
  22. 22 The Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio featuring its tower against the green Monte Ingino. Palazzo dei Consoli Gubbio · Umbria Built between 1332 and 1349, this towering Gothic civic palace houses the municipal museum and the rare Iguvine Tablets. 79
  23. 23 Palazzo Reale — Naples Palazzo Reale Naples · Campania Built to house a king who never came to Naples. 78
  24. 24 Castello di Melfi in Italy with stone access ramp and medieval towers Melfi Castle Melfi · Basilicata The fortress where Frederick II promulgated the Constitutions of Melfi in 1231, now home to the Archaeological Museum. 77
  25. 25 Palazzo Barberini — Rome Palazzo Barberini Rome · Lazio Built for a pope's family, and three centuries later a party was born in it. 77
  26. 26 Museo Poldi Pezzoli — Milan Museo Poldi Pezzoli Milan · Lombardy The paintings are his; almost none of the rooms around them are — a bombing destroyed those. 76
  27. 27 Palazzo Carignano — Turin Palazzo Carignano Turin · Piedmont Guarini's Baroque palace where Victor Emmanuel II was born and the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed. 76
  28. 28 palazzo del Laterano — Rome palazzo del Laterano Rome · Lazio The palace you see is a good deal smaller than the one that stood here before. 76
  29. 29 Palazzo Reale di Torino — Turin Palazzo Reale di Torino Turin · Piedmont The first Savoy residence in Turin: Juvarra's staircase, Guarini's Chapel of the Holy Shroud and the Musei Reali. 76
  30. 30 Villa Almerico Capra (La Rotonda) — Vicenza Villa Almerico Capra (La Rotonda) Vicenza · Veneto Calling it the Rotonda is inexact, and Palladio listed it among palaces, not villas. 76
  31. 31 Maschio Angioino — Naples Maschio Angioino Naples · Campania Charles of Anjou's castle rebuilt by the Aragonese: the triumphal arch, the Hall of the Barons and Giotto's chapel. 75
  32. 32 Palazzo Strozzi — Florence Palazzo Strozzi Florence · Tuscany The Strozzi's stone cube, built to outdo the Medici palace: today the home of Florence's major exhibitions. 75
  33. 33 Palazzo Venezia — Rome Palazzo Venezia Rome · Lazio The travertine comes from the Colosseum and the Theatre of Marcellus: it is made of ancient Rome. 75
  34. 34 museo civico di storia naturale — Milan museo civico di storia naturale Milan · Lombardy Italy's first purpose-built museum: dinosaurs, the baby dinosaur Ciro and the country's largest diorama collection. 73
  35. 35 Villa dei Misteri — Pompei Villa dei Misteri Pompei · Campania The villa outside the Herculaneum Gate with the great red frieze of the Dionysian mysteries, restored with lasers. 73
  36. 36 Villa dei Papiri — Ercolano Villa dei Papiri Ercolano · Campania Piso's villa at Herculaneum: the only ancient library to survive whole, and the bronzes now in the Naples museum. 73
  37. 37 Basilica Palladiana — Vicenza Basilica Palladiana Vicenza · Veneto Palladio's loggias around Vicenza's Gothic town hall: the serliana, the keel-roofed hall and the terrace. 72
  38. 38 Ca' Rezzonico — Venice Ca' Rezzonico Venice · Veneto The palace of eighteenth-century Venice on the Grand Canal: Tiepolo's ceilings, Longhi and the Zianigo Pulcinellas. 72
  39. 39 Castel dell'ovo — Naples Castel dell'ovo Naples · Campania The oldest castle in Naples on the rock of Megaride: the legend of Virgil's egg and the terraces over the gulf. 72
  40. 40 museo Bagatti Valsecchi — Milan museo Bagatti Valsecchi Milan · Lombardy The house of two brothers who chose to live in the Renaissance: Bellini, armour and the bathroom with the hidden shower. 72
  41. 41 Palazzo Pubblico — Siena Palazzo Pubblico Siena · Tuscany The seat of the Nine on the Campo: Lorenzetti's Good Government, the Guidoriccio and the Torre del Mangia. 72
  42. 42 Ca' Pesaro — Venice Ca' Pesaro Venice · Veneto Longhena's palace on the Grand Canal: Klimt's Judith, Boccioni and the samurai on the top floor. 71
  43. 43 Castello Reale di Racconigi — Racconigi Castello Reale di Racconigi Racconigi · Piedmont From fortress to pleasure house: Guarini, Le Nôtre, Borra and the royal summer retreat. 71
  44. 44 Palazzo Davanzati — Florence Palazzo Davanzati Florence · Tuscany A merchant's house of the fourteenth century: the courtyard well, the Parrot Room and the top-floor kitchen. 71
  45. 45 palazzo Ducale — Genoa palazzo Ducale Genoa · Liguria Seat of the doges from 1339, with a neoclassical front born of a fire and a tower to climb. 71
  46. 46 Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja — Turin Palazzo Madama e Casaforte degli Acaja Turin · Piedmont Roman gate, Acaja castle and Juvarra's façade in one building: Turin's museum of ancient art. 71
  47. 47 Palazzo Reale di Milano — Milan Palazzo Reale di Milano Milan · Lombardy The royal palace beside the Duomo, now the city's exhibition centre: the war-scarred Hall of the Caryatids. 71
  48. 48 torre dell'orologio — Venice torre dell'orologio Venice · Veneto The astronomical clock of Piazza San Marco: the Moors striking the hours, the zodiac and the parade of the Magi. 71
  49. 49 Palazzo Chiericati — Vicenza Palazzo Chiericati Vicenza · Veneto Palladio's palace-villa on the piazza dell'Isola, now the civic museum: the stacked loggias and Van Dyck. 70
  50. 50 Palazzo Reale di Genova — Genoa Palazzo Reale di Genova Genoa · Liguria Home of the Balbi, the Durazzo and then the Savoys: Hall of Mirrors and a garden over the port. 70
  51. 51 Palazzo Schifanoia — Ferrara Palazzo Schifanoia Ferrara · Emilia-Romagna Borso d'Este's pleasure palace and the Hall of the Months: Cossa's astrological calendar. 70
  52. 52 Villa Jovis — Capri Villa Jovis Capri · Campania The villa from which Tiberius ruled the Empire: terraced ruins on Capri's cliff, the whole gulf below. 70
  53. 53 Ca' d'Oro — Venice Ca' d'Oro Venice · Veneto The finest Gothic palace on the Grand Canal and the Franchetti collection: Mantegna's Saint Sebastian. 69
  54. 54 Castel Sant'Elmo — Naples Castel Sant'Elmo Naples · Campania The star-shaped fortress on the Vomero: prison of the patriots and the full view over Naples and the gulf. 69
  55. 55 Villa La Petraia — Florence Villa La Petraia Florence · Tuscany The Medici villa above Castello: Volterrano's Triumphs under the Savoy glass roof and Utens's lunettes. 69
  56. 56 casa del Fauno — Pompei casa del Fauno Pompei · Campania The largest house in Pompeii: the dancing satyr and the Alexander mosaic, with copies in their place. 68
  57. 57 Palazzo Re Enzo — Bologna Palazzo Re Enzo Bologna · Emilia-Romagna The palace where Bologna held the son of Frederick II prisoner for twenty-three years. 68
  58. 58 Torre Velasca — Milan Torre Velasca Milan · Lombardy The skyscraper with braces: BBPR's mushroom tower that has kept Milan arguing for sixty years. 68
  59. 59 Villa della Regina — Turin Villa della Regina Turin · Piedmont The villa of the Savoy queens on Turin's hill: amphitheatre garden, Chinese Cabinets and vineyard. 68
  60. 60 Villa medicea di Careggi — Florence Villa medicea di Careggi Florence · Tuscany The villa of the Platonic Academy, where Lorenzo the Magnificent was born and died, among cedars. 68
  61. 61 castello di Verrès — Verrès castello di Verrès Verrès · Aosta Valley Ibleto di Challant's thirty-metre cube, where Caterina danced in the square in 1449 to win the town over. 67
  62. 62 castello Ursino — Catania castello Ursino Catania · Sicily A 13th-century Hohenstaufen castle in Catania, now home to the city's Civic Museum and art collections. 67
  63. 63 Castelvecchio — Verona Castelvecchio Verona · Veneto The Scaliger castle with its private bridge over the Adige: seven towers, swallow-tail battlements, Cangrande. 67
  64. 64 Palazzo di Brera — Milan Palazzo di Brera Milan · Lombardy The Jesuit college turned palace of the arts: gallery, academy, library, botanical garden and stars. 67
  65. 65 Palazzo Natoli — Palermo Palazzo Natoli Palermo · Sicily A 1765 Baroque palace off the Cassaro: crest, grand staircase, Martorana ceilings. 67
  66. 66 Villa Foscari — Venice Villa Foscari Venice · Veneto Palladio's Malcontenta on the Brenta: a temple of brick disguised as stone, reached by boat. 67
  67. 67 Villa medicea di Castello — Florence Villa medicea di Castello Florence · Tuscany The first Italian garden, made for Cosimo I, and the house Botticelli painted the Venus for. 67
  68. 68 Castel Capuano — Naples Castel Capuano Naples · Campania The Norman castle that was a royal palace and for four centuries the court of Naples, beside Porta Capuana. 66
  69. 69 Museo del Risorgimento — Milan Museo del Risorgimento Milan · Lombardy From Napoleon's cloak to Garibaldi's red shirt: seventy years of Risorgimento behind Brera, free of charge. 66
  70. 70 Palazzo dei Diamanti — Ferrara Palazzo dei Diamanti Ferrara · Emilia-Romagna Eight thousand five hundred marble diamonds on the corner of the Addizione Erculea, with Ferrara's gallery. 66
  71. 71 palazzo della Ragione — Padua palazzo della Ragione Padua · Veneto Padua's Salone: the largest hall of the Middle Ages, with a frescoed zodiac and the market underneath. 66
  72. 72 Palazzo Grassi — Venice Palazzo Grassi Venice · Veneto The last palace of the Republic on the Grand Canal, today the Venetian home of the Pinault Collection. 66
  73. 73 Villa Necchi Campiglio — Milan Villa Necchi Campiglio Milan · Lombardy The Necchi sisters' house designed by Portaluppi, with the first private swimming pool in Milan. 66
  74. 74 palazzo Doria-Tursi — Genoa palazzo Doria-Tursi Genoa · Liguria The longest front on via Garibaldi: Genoa's city hall, a museum, and Paganini's own violin. 65
  75. 75 Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa — Venice Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa Venice · Veneto The Grimani's Roman house in Castello: Zuccari's staircase, the forest room and the Ganymede Tribuna. 65
  76. 76 Ca' Foscari — Venice Ca' Foscari Venice · Veneto Doge Foscari's Gothic palace on the bend of the Grand Canal, now a university and Canaletto's window. 64
  77. 77 casa del Menandro — Pompei casa del Menandro Pompei · Campania The house where the chest of silver was found, and the building work the eruption stopped. 64
  78. 78 castello di San Giorgio — Mantua castello di San Giorgio Mantua · Lombardy Gonzaga fortress in Mantua, famous for the Camera degli Sposi frescoes painted by Andrea Mantegna. 64
  79. 79 castello di San Giusto — Trieste castello di San Giusto Trieste · Friuli Venezia Giulia The fortress built to keep Trieste in check, and the rampart walk above the gulf. 64
  80. 80 castello scaligero di Sirmione — Sirmione castello scaligero di Sirmione Sirmione · Lombardy The fortress on the water that is Sirmione's only gate, with its harbour walled inside. 64
  81. 81 Forte Belvedere — Florence Forte Belvedere Florence · Tuscany Buontalenti's star fortress above Boboli: the Medici escape route and the best view in Florence. 64
  82. 82 Palazzo Rucellai — Florence Palazzo Rucellai Florence · Tuscany The façade with which Alberti made eight houses into one, and the toothed right-hand edge. 64
  83. 83 Porta Borsari — Verona Porta Borsari Verona · Veneto The Roman gate left standing in a shopping street, with a façade built for shadow. 64
  84. 84 Praedia di Giulia Felice — Pompei Praedia di Giulia Felice Pompei · Campania The estate with the rental notice painted on its wall and the water channel in the garden. 64
  85. 85 Rocca Maggiore — Assisi Rocca Maggiore Assisi · Umbria The imperial fortress above Assisi, with the dark corridor leading to its tower. 64
  86. 86 Villa del Principe — Genoa Villa del Principe Genoa · Liguria Andrea Doria's palace at Fassolo, with Perin del Vaga's vault of the falling Giants. 64
  87. 87 Castel Savoia — Gressoney-Saint-Jean Castel Savoia Gressoney-Saint-Jean · Aosta Valley The fairy-tale castle queen Margherita had built facing Monte Rosa. 63
  88. 88 collegio di Spagna — Bologna collegio di Spagna Bologna · Emilia-Romagna The world's oldest college for foreign students, Spanish and closed, since 1364. 63
  89. 89 Fortezza da Basso — Florence Fortezza da Basso Florence · Tuscany The fortress the Medici built against Florence, now the city's fair district. 63
  90. 90 Palazzo Chiaramonte — Palermo Palazzo Chiaramonte Palermo · Sicily Chiaramonte residence, then Inquisition prison: the cells still carry the prisoners' graffiti. 63
  91. 91 Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio — Bologna Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio Bologna · Emilia-Romagna Six thousand student coats of arms on the walls, and the wooden anatomical theatre rebuilt after the bomb. 63
  92. 92 palazzo della Ragione — Milan palazzo della Ragione Milan · Lombardy Milan's medieval town hall, with the podestà on horseback and the sow under the portico. 63
  93. 93 Palazzo Ducale di Modena — Modena Palazzo Ducale di Modena Modena · Emilia-Romagna The Este palace in Modena, now the Military Academy: entry by booking only. 63
  94. 94 Palazzo Litta — Milan Palazzo Litta Milan · Lombardy The most theatrical façade of Milanese baroque and its double staircase of honour. 63
  95. 95 Villa Gazzotti — Vicenza Villa Gazzotti Vicenza · Veneto One of Palladio's earliest villas, shut and peeling behind the church of Bertesina. 63
  96. 96 Castello aragonese — Otranto Castello aragonese Otranto · Puglia The Aragonese fortress that named the first Gothic novel, written by a man who never saw it. 62
  97. 97 castello di Issogne — Issogne castello di Issogne Issogne · Aosta Valley Fifteenth-century shops painted under the portico, and the iron pomegranate fountain. 62
  98. 98 Fondaco dei Turchi — Venice Fondaco dei Turchi Venice · Veneto The Turkish merchants' palace on the Grand Canal, rebuilt in the 1800s and full of dinosaurs. 62
  99. 99 Forte spagnolo — L'Aquila Forte spagnolo L'Aquila · Abruzzo The Spanish fortress built against L'Aquila, with the inscription saying so over the gate. 62
  100. 100 Palazzo Barbaran da Porto — Vicenza Palazzo Barbaran da Porto Vicenza · Veneto The only large palace Palladio managed to finish, now the museum devoted to Palladio. 62