⛪ Italy's most beautiful churches and sanctuaries

81 places ordered by editorial score

  1. 1 Detailed mosaic and carved reliefs above the portal of Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence. Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore Florence · Tuscany Completed in 1436, the colossal Florentine cathedral holds the absolute record for the world's largest masonry dome. 96
  2. 2 The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi with its lower square, bell tower, and arched colonnade. Basilica di San Francesco Assisi · Umbria Housing the tomb of Saint Francis since 1230, this two-tiered papal basilica is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture. 95
  3. 3 Ornate Gothic spires and detailed marble facade of the Duomo di Milano against a blue sky. Duomo di Milano Milan · Lombardy The largest church in Italy, constructed over six centuries from Candoglia marble and crowned by the Madonnina. 94
  4. 4 Byzantine mosaic depicting the Hospitality of Abraham inside the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. Mosaics of San Vitale and Galla Placidia Ravenna · Emilia-Romagna A 5th-century cruciform chapel renowned for its starry sky dome and Ravenna's oldest early Christian glass mosaics. 94
  5. 5 Giotto's frescoes on the interior walls of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. Scrovegni Chapel Padua · Veneto Painted by Giotto in 625 work days, this 14th-century fresco cycle revolutionized the course of Western mural painting. 92
  6. 6 The Benedictine cloister and bell tower of the Duomo di Monreale in Sicily Monreale Cathedral Monreale · Sicily Built in 1172 by William II, this Arab-Norman masterpiece contains 6,500 square meters of Byzantine glass mosaics. 91
  7. 7 Panoramic view of Siena with Basilica di San Domenico and Siena Cathedral Duomo di Siena Siena · Tuscany Legendarily consecrated in 1179, Siena Cathedral is a Romanesque-Gothic masterwork defined by its striped marble. 90
  8. 8 Interior nave of Orvieto Cathedral featuring striped columns and frescoes in the apse Orvieto Cathedral Orvieto · Umbria Begun in 1290 to house the relic of the Miracle of Bolsena, this Gothic masterpiece features a striking golden facade. 90
  9. 9 Mosaic facade and grand staircase of the Duomo di Amalfi Amalfi Cathedral Amalfi · Campania Founded in 987, this cathedral preserves the relics of Saint Andrew and features 11th-century Byzantine bronze doors. 87
  10. 10 Early Christian mosaic panel depicting the Good Shepherd in the Basilica of Aquileia, Italy Basilica of Aquileia Aquileia · Friuli Venezia Giulia Spanning over 760 square meters, the West's largest early Christian mosaic anchors this historic patriarchal cathedral. 87
  11. 11 Carved Romanesque capitals on display in the Modena Cathedral Museum Modena Cathedral and Ghirlandina Modena · Emilia-Romagna Founded in 1099, this Romanesque UNESCO World Heritage site is celebrated for Wiligelmus's reliefs and its bell tower. 87
  12. 12 Inlaid wooden choir stalls featuring figures of saints inside the Certosa di Pavia. Certosa di Pavia Certosa di Pavia · Lombardy Founded in 1396 by the Duke of Milan, this Gothic-Renaissance monastery was built as the grand Visconti mausoleum. 86
  13. 13 Sanctuary of Santa Maria dell'Isola in Tropea, Calabria, overlooking the blue sea. Santa Maria dell'Isola Tropea · Calabria Founded in the 7th century on a sandstone rock, this former Byzantine retreat preserves ancient tombstone fragments. 86
  14. 14 Baroque stone sculptures supporting a balcony on the facade of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Lecce Basilica di Santa Croce Lecce · Puglia The largest Franciscan church in the world and Italy's secular pantheon, housing the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. 85
  15. 15 Detail of the Romanesque portal of the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari with top sculpture Basilica di San Nicola Bari · Puglia Founded in 1087 for the relics of Saint Nicholas, this fortress-like church is a masterpiece of Apulian Romanesque. 84
  16. 16 View of the Palermo Cathedral featuring its dome, clock tower, and a statue in the foreground. Cattedrale di Palermo Palermo · Sicily A UNESCO World Heritage site since 2015, this cathedral houses Gagini's marbles and the silver urn of Saint Rosalia. 84
  17. 17 Fresco depicting the Enthroned Madonna and Child inside the Parma Baptistery Parma Baptistery Parma · Emilia-Romagna Benedetto Antelami’s pink marble masterpiece, a European landmark bridging Romanesque and Gothic design in Parma. 84
  18. 18 The snow-covered Sacra di San Michele abbey perched on Mount Pirchiriano. Sacra di San Michele Sant'Ambrogio di Torino · Piedmont Perched at 960 metres on Mount Pirchiriano, this thousand-year-old abbey is the symbolic monument of Piedmont. 84
  19. 19 Stone facade of San Fruttuoso Abbey in Camogli with Gothic mullioned windows San Fruttuoso Abbey Camogli · Liguria A Romanesque abbey tied to the Doria family, accessible only by sea or wooded trails in the Portofino Natural Park. 84
  20. 20 Detail of the floor mosaic depicting Abraham inside Otranto Cathedral. Otranto Cathedral Otranto · Puglia Consecrated in 1088, it houses the relics of eight hundred martyrs and a monumental 12th-century floor mosaic. 83
  21. 21 Detached frescoes displayed on easels in the Tempietto Longobardo complex in Cividale del Friuli. Lombard Temple Cividale del Friuli · Friuli Venezia Giulia Founded in the 8th century, this UNESCO World Heritage site is the most intact architectural legacy of the Lombards. 82
  22. 22 Facade and bell tower of the Church of Santa Maria Assunta in Positano with colorful cliffside houses. Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta Positano · Campania Built over a Roman villa, this collegiate church houses a Byzantine icon and is famous for its tiled majolica dome. 80
  23. 23 Marble facade of the Tempio Malatestiano cathedral in Rimini, Italy. Malatesta Temple Rimini · Emilia-Romagna Designed by Alberti, this Renaissance masterpiece was excommunicated in 1460 due to its overwhelming pagan symbolism. 80
  24. 24 The dome of Monastero dei Benedettini in Catania framed by blooming jacaranda trees Monastero dei Benedettini Catania · Sicily Europe's second-largest Benedictine monastery, this UNESCO-listed complex is a triumph of Sicilian late-baroque design. 79
  25. 25 La Cattolica di Stilo, a Byzantine church with brick domes in Calabria, Italy The Cattolica of Stilo Stilo · Calabria Featured on the Italian passport, the Cattolica di Stilo is a 9th-century Byzantine masterpiece with five iconic domes. 79
  26. 26 The Christ the Redeemer statue on Monte San Biagio in Maratea beside ancient stone ruins. Christ the Redeemer of Maratea Maratea · Basilicata Towering 21.13 meters above Mount San Biagio, Bruno Innocenti's 1965 statue rises directly from the bare earth. 78
  27. 27 chiesa di San Francesco all'Immacolata — Messina chiesa di San Francesco all'Immacolata Messina · Sicily Sicily's first Franciscan church (1254); its apses appear in a painting by Antonello da Messina. 52
  28. 28 duomo di San Tommaso di Canterbury — Marsala duomo di San Tommaso di Canterbury Marsala · Sicily Marsala's mother church, dedicated to an English saint and rich in Gagini sculpture. 51
  29. 29 basilica di Maria Santissima del Soccorso — Sciacca basilica di Maria Santissima del Soccorso Sciacca · Sicily Sciacca's mother church, founded in 1108: Gagini sculptures and a vault frescoed by Tommaso Rossi. 50
  30. 30 Panoramic street with cars, trees, and buildings in Sciacca, Agrigento cappella di San Giorgio dei Genovesi a Sciacca Sciacca · Sicily A chapel built in 1520 by Sciacca's Genoese merchants and demolished in 1952. 50
  31. 31 chiesa del Carmine — Modica chiesa del Carmine Modica · Sicily One of the few Modica monuments to survive the 1693 quake, with a late-Gothic portal and a Gagini Annunciation. 50
  32. 32 chiesa di San Domenico — Modica chiesa di San Domenico Modica · Sicily Modica's Dominican church, now the town hall, with a crypt rediscovered in 1972. 50
  33. 33 chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista — Modica chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista Modica · Sicily The mother church of upper Modica, the town's highest point at 449 m, with a dramatic staircase. 50
  34. 34 chiesa di San Michele — Sciacca chiesa di San Michele Sciacca · Sicily A 1371 Sciacca church that keeps two Holy Thorns from Christ's crown, a gift of the Peralta. 50
  35. 35 chiesa di San Nicolò La Latina — Sciacca chiesa di San Nicolò La Latina Sciacca · Sicily A small 12th-century Norman church in Sciacca, with an Arab-Norman front and apse. 50
  36. 36 Panoramic street with cars, trees, and buildings in Sciacca, Agrigento chiesa di Santa Margherita Sciacca · Sicily A 1342 Sciacca church with a 1468 marble portal by Pietro de Bonitate to a design by Laurana. 50
  37. 37 chiesa di Santa Maria del Gesù — Modica chiesa di Santa Maria del Gesù Modica · Sicily Modica's Franciscan church born for a royal wedding, with a late-Gothic cloister unique in southern Italy. 50
  38. 38 chiesa di Santa Maria della Raccomandata — Sciacca chiesa di Santa Maria della Raccomandata Sciacca · Sicily An old Sciacca church with a magnificent Norman ogival portal and a Pantocrator recovered in restoration. 50
  39. 39 Panoramic street with cars, trees, and buildings in Sciacca, Agrigento chiesa di Santa Maria delle Giummare Sciacca · Sicily Sciacca's Norman church founded by Judith of Hauteville, the only Cluniac priory in southern Italy. 50
  40. 40 chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem — Modica chiesa di Santa Maria di Betlem Modica · Sicily Modica's 14th-century collegiate church, with the late-Gothic Cabrera Chapel and a great Caltagirone nativity. 50
  41. 41 duomo di San Giorgio — Modica duomo di San Giorgio Modica · Sicily Sicilian Baroque icon and UNESCO site: Modica's mother church, with its 62-metre tower façade. 50
  42. 42 Duomo di San Pietro Apostolo — Modica Duomo di San Pietro Apostolo Modica · Sicily Modica's other mother church, San Giorgio's rival, with the apostle statues on its staircase and the Petra bell. 50
  43. 43 Panoramic view of the coastal town of Avola and the sea from above San Giovanni Battista Avola · Sicily Avola's Baroque church (1700-1744), with Gregorio Scalia's frescoes on the life of the Baptist. 50
  44. 44 santuario della Madonna delle Grazie — Modica santuario della Madonna delle Grazie Modica · Sicily The sanctuary of lower Modica, born in 1615 from the miracle of a Madonna tablet. 50
  45. 45 Street view in Caltanissetta featuring a historic building and trees abbazia di Santo Spirito Caltanissetta · Sicily Consecrated in 1153, this Norman abbey was the first parish church of Caltanissetta. 48
  46. 46 basilica-santuario di Maria Santissima Annunziata — Trapani basilica-santuario di Maria Santissima Annunziata Trapani · Sicily Pius XII made this Trapani sanctuary a minor basilica in 1950; its Madonna statue is attributed to Nino Pisano. 48
  47. 47 cattedrale di Caltanissetta — Caltanissetta cattedrale di Caltanissetta Caltanissetta · Sicily Consecrated in 1733 and made a cathedral in 1844, Santa Maria la Nova holds Borremans's frescoes. 48
  48. 48 cattedrale di San Lorenzo — Trapani cattedrale di San Lorenzo Trapani · Sicily Trapani's cathedral holds a Crucifixion painted by Antoon van Dyck around 1640. 48
  49. 49 chiesa di San Domenico — Caltanissetta chiesa di San Domenico Caltanissetta · Sicily Founded in 1458 by the Moncada, it holds Filippo Paladini's Madonna of the Rosary, dated 1614. 48
  50. 50 Street view in Caltanissetta featuring a historic building and trees chiesa di San Giuseppe Caltanissetta · Sicily Inaugurated in 1609 on the old belvedere known as the “Tondo”, in the Furchi quarter. 48
  51. 51 chiesa di San Pio X — Caltanissetta chiesa di San Pio X Caltanissetta · Sicily Built around 1960 for the Fungirello district, with a curved facade of six giant pilasters. 48
  52. 52 chiesa di Sant'Agata al Collegio — Caltanissetta chiesa di Sant'Agata al Collegio Caltanissetta · Sicily Jesuit church on Caltanissetta's main street, built 1600-1610, with a white-stone portal by Marabitti. 48
  53. 53 Street view in Caltanissetta featuring a historic building and trees chiesa di Sant'Antonio alla Saccara Caltanissetta · Sicily Founded as Santa Maria di Montemaggiore, it took the name of St Anthony only after the First World War. 48
  54. 54 chiesa di Santa Lucia — Caltanissetta chiesa di Santa Lucia Caltanissetta · Sicily The city's third church to Saint Lucy, rebuilt on an octagonal plan in 1948 after the 1943 bombing. 48
  55. 55 chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli — Caltanissetta chiesa di Santa Maria degli Angeli Caltanissetta · Sicily A national monument since 1902, it stands beside the Pietrarossa castle in Caltanissetta. 48
  56. 56 Street view in Caltanissetta featuring a historic building and trees chiesa di Santa Maria della Grazia Caltanissetta · Sicily Augustinian church in Caltanissetta begun in 1620, with 1840 vaulted stuccoes and a Novelli altarpiece. 48
  57. 57 Street view in Caltanissetta featuring a historic building and trees chiesa di Santa Maria della Provvidenza Caltanissetta · Sicily A Caltanissetta parish church with origins in the late fifteenth century, in the Provvidenza quarter. 48
  58. 58 chiesa e convento di San Michele — Caltanissetta chiesa e convento di San Michele Caltanissetta · Sicily A church and Capuchin convent born from a 1625 vision that spared Caltanissetta from the plague. 48
  59. 59 Street view in Caltanissetta featuring a historic building and trees chiesa e monastero di Santa Croce Caltanissetta · Sicily The two-tier red façade on Corso Vittorio Emanuele let cloistered nuns watch the street unseen. 48
  60. 60 chiesa e monastero di Santa Flavia — Caltanissetta chiesa e monastero di Santa Flavia Caltanissetta · Sicily Founded by Maria d'Aragona and approved by Pope Clement VIII in 1594, dedicated to Saint Flavia. 48
  61. 61 santuario del Signore della Città — Caltanissetta santuario del Signore della Città Caltanissetta · Sicily The sanctuary keeps the Cristo Nero, a soot-blackened wooden crucifix and co-patron of Caltanissetta. 48
  62. 62 basilica Cattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore — Mazara del Vallo basilica Cattedrale del Santissimo Salvatore Mazara del Vallo · Sicily Roger I's cathedral of 1072, with the Gaginis' marble Transfiguration in the presbytery. 47
  63. 63 cattedrale di San Giuliano — Caltagirone cattedrale di San Giuliano Caltagirone · Sicily Caltagirone's cathedral, a minor basilica since 1948, holds an 1862 painted cycle by Giuseppe Vaccaro. 47
  64. 64 chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore — Caltagirone chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore Caltagirone · Sicily Luigi Sturzo was ordained a priest here in 1894; his tomb has stood in the church since 1962. 47
  65. 65 chiesa della Circoncisione di Gesù — Caltagirone chiesa della Circoncisione di Gesù Caltagirone · Sicily Jesuit church in Caltagirone, dedicated to the name of Jesus in 1593, with works by Gagini and Paladini. 47
  66. 66 chiesa della Madonna delle Giummare — Mazara del Vallo chiesa della Madonna delle Giummare Mazara del Vallo · Sicily Byzantine-Norman church founded by Roger I in 1072, with Byzantine frescoes and a 14th-century portal. 47
  67. 67 chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi — Enna chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi Enna · Sicily A 14th-century church in Enna with an “Adoration of the Magi” by the Fleming Simone de Wobreck. 47
  68. 68 Courtyard in the historic center of Mazara del Vallo with decorative ceramic vases and a mosaic chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi Mazara del Vallo · Sicily A Baroque church of 1703 over a Christian crypt from 250 AD and the Norman basilica of 1093. 47
  69. 69 chiesa di San Francesco di Paola — Caltagirone chiesa di San Francesco di Paola Caltagirone · Sicily Founded in 1582 by the Order of Minims on a former Dominican church, on Caltagirone's via Roma. 47
  70. 70 chiesa di San Francesco di Paola — Milazzo chiesa di San Francesco di Paola Milazzo · Sicily The only sanctuary in Sicily named after Saint Francis of Paola, who built it himself. 47
  71. 71 chiesa di San Giacomo — Caltagirone chiesa di San Giacomo Caltagirone · Sicily The minor basilica of San Giacomo, founded in 1090, holds the silver ark of Caltagirone's patron saint. 47
  72. 72 Courtyard in the historic center of Mazara del Vallo with decorative ceramic vases and a mosaic chiesa di San Michele Mazara del Vallo · Sicily Baroque church in Mazara del Vallo with a 1532 ciborium by Antonello Gagini and frescoes by Sciacca. 47
  73. 73 chiesa di San Nicolò Regale — Mazara del Vallo chiesa di San Nicolò Regale Mazara del Vallo · Sicily Built in 1124, an Arab-Norman cube church on the bank of the Mazaro in Mazara del Vallo. 47
  74. 74 Frescoed facade of a historic building in Licata, Agrigento, Sicily. chiesa di Sant'Agostino Licata · Sicily Augustinian church from 1566, a Marian sanctuary at Licata since 1973. 47
  75. 75 Frescoed facade of a historic building in Licata, Agrigento, Sicily. chiesa di Sant'Angelo Licata · Sicily First work of the architect Angelo Italia, built in 1653 and given its present form in 1752. 47
  76. 76 chiesa di Santa Lucia — Adrano chiesa di Santa Lucia Adrano · Sicily The church and monastery were built in 1596 on the site of a Benedictine foundation from 1150. 47
  77. 77 chiesa di Santa Maria del Monte — Caltagirone chiesa di Santa Maria del Monte Caltagirone · Sicily Caltagirone's old mother church, “la Matrice,” crowning the Santa Maria del Monte staircase. 47
  78. 78 Frescoed facade of a historic building in Licata, Agrigento, Sicily. chiesa di Santa Maria La Vetere Licata · Sicily Tradition dates the church to around 580, to Saint Silvia, mother of Pope Gregory the Great. 47
  79. 79 duomo Antico di Santo Stefano — Milazzo duomo Antico di Santo Stefano Milazzo · Sicily Begun in 1607 inside Milazzo's walled citadel, its dome kept low to clear the castle's line of fire. 47
  80. 80 duomo di Enna — Enna duomo di Enna Enna · Sicily Enna's mother church, begun in 1307 by Eleonora of Anjou and a national monument since 1943. 47
  81. 81 duomo di Santo Stefano — Milazzo duomo di Santo Stefano Milazzo · Sicily The largest church in Milazzo, opened in 1953, holds artworks saved from the old cathedral. 47