The Appian Way is an ancient road, built of paving blocks. It is located in Rome and was built in 312 BC for the purpose of transporting military supplies. It is called the “Queen of Roads” because it has lasted so long.

The Ancient Appian was Rome’s gateway to the East before modern streets and highways were built. It was a straight line to the important town of Capua and then stretched on 400 miles to Brindisi where Roman ships sailed to Egypt and Greece.

Tourists come to admire the Ancient Appian Way and to take a step back in time. The road can be accessed by bike, on foot, and parts of it by car.

The Arco della Pace is located in Milan, Italy. It is also called the Arch of Peace. It was built in the early nineteenth century to celebrate peace between European nations that was reached in 1815.

The Arco della Pace was part of the “Foro Bonaparte” which was built like a Roman Forum to honor Napoleon’s victories.

The design of the Arco della Pace is very elaborate. It has a large passageway in the center with two smaller ones on each side. It is clad in elegant marble and has beautiful sculptures and columns.

Basilica di San Lorenzo is a large and beautiful church in Florence, Italy. It’s the burial place for the Medici family who were rich and powerful rulers in Italy. It was built outside of the city walls in the year 393. 

Inside the Basilica di San Lorenzo is a decoration and sculpture by the famous artist, Donatello.  There is also the Laurentian Library that was influenced by Michelangelo and the Old Sacristy by Bruenelleschi where church furnishings and vestments are kept. 

In the museum area, there is a crypt belonging to Donatello and the tomb of his close friend, Cosimo di Medici. The main part of the church has gorgeous arches and columns that stretch up to the ceiling for all to admire.

Castello Sforzesco was built in 1450 by Francesco Sforza. He and his son Ludovico Sforza used it as their home. In 1526, the Spanish converted the caste into a fortress holding 1000 to 3000 men. When Italy was unified in the 19th century, it was no longer used by the military. The city of Milan took over ownership.  They restored much of the castle and have converted it into a museum.

The Cattedrale di Pisa is a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral in Pisa, Italy.

The cathedral is absolutely breathtaking. On the outside, it is decorated with bronze objects, marble of different colors, and mosaic work. 

The inside has a wooden ceiling with gold leaf paint. There is also a painting inside the dome which was done in honor of the Virgin in all her glory with the saints. The famous artwork was painted by two artist, Orazio and Girolamo Riminaldi.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore is the third largest church in the world. The Italian Gothic building was finished in the 15^th century. It was built on the site of a 7^th-century church – the remains of that church can be viewed in the crypt. 

The interior holds significant works of art, including impressive frescoes painted by Andrea del Castagno in 1456 and Paolo Ucello in 1436.

One of the most popular things to do in Florence is to climb to the top of the dome where you’ll be surrounded by lavish frescoes while taking in an awe-inspiring vista of the city’s endless red roofs.

The Colosseum is a large oval amphitheater in the city of Rome. The structure is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre and was built between 70 and 80 AD under the Roman emperor Vespasian and finished under Emperor Titus. 

The Colosseum is huge, and was estimated to have been able to hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people when it was still active. The space was used for battles between gladiators, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and even as a large stage to put on Classical mythology plays. 

The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style, and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice. The palace was the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic. It was built in 1340 and extended and modified in the following centuries. It became a museum in 1923 and is one of the 11 museums run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.

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The Duomo di Milano took 6 centuries to complete. It was constructed between 1386 to 1965 and dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente (The Nativity of Saint Mary). It is the largest basilica in Italy and the 3rd largest in Europe.

Ercolano, known as Herculaneum in ancient times, is a small town near Naples, Italy, famous for its well-preserved ruins. It was an ancient Roman town that met a tragic fate in AD 79 when Mount Vesuvius erupted.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the most famous sites in Italy. Each year over 1 million tourists come to Pisa to see the leaning bell tower.

Construction began in 1173 and was completed many years later in 1392. The tower is about 60 meters tall and has 296 steps going up to the top. It was one of the first circular buildings of its time. It weighs 15,000 tons. There are seven bells that ring in the tower which used to be rung for different occasions.

Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It is a beautiful building that overlooks the gallery of statues. The Palazzo Vecchio is built on top of an ancient Roman theater that was once part of the Roman colony of Florentia. You can purchase tickets to view the ruins.

Inside the Palazzo, there are many famous paintings. A microcosm in the palace keeps art and history safe for visitors to enjoy. A massive hall named Salone dei Cinquecento was built in 1494. It has paneled ceilings and walls decorated with frescoes, gold, and large statues. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti were commissioned to paint two large murals on the walls.

The Pantheon is considered the most well-preserved and important building from ancient Rome. Initially built in 27 BC, it was dedicated to Romulus, the mythological founder of Ancient Rome and as a temple to all gods, - the word Pantheon means “honor all Gods.”

After being damaged by fire, it was rebuilt by the Romans in 125 AD which means that it’s now nearly 1,900 years old. The ancient Pantheon boasts the world’s single largest unsupported dome, measuring 142 feet in diameter and height. When great artist Michelangelo saw this wonder for the first time, he was said to have exclaimed that it looked “more like the work of angels, not humans.”

Pompeii is an ancient Roman city near Naples, Italy, that was buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. This city is famous for its well-preserved ruins, which offer a detailed look into ancient Roman life.

The oldest bridge in Florence, Ponte Vecchio opened in 1345. A timeless symbol of the city, the original Roman crossing stood here as the only bridge over the Arno River until 1218. 

It’s easy to imagine the early residents of Florence bustling about Ponte Vecchio, with shops here since the 13^th century, from fishmongers and tanners to butchers.

Ponte Vecchio is Florence’s only bridge that managed to survive World War II, with all the others bombed and destroyed.

Today, it’s a lively spot packed with tourists. If you arrive early, just before dawn, you can enjoy serene views over the river and a colorful sunrise without the crowds. After dark, the shops’ wooden shutters create a look of wooden chests and suitcases that make it especially inviting for an evening stroll.

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. Connecting the sestieri (districts) of San Marco and San Polo, it has been rebuilt several times and is now a significant tourist attraction in the city.

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The Roman Forum (Foro Romano) was an open-air location in the heart of the ancient city where many events took place - including political, religious, important meetings, criminal trials, buying and selling of goods, gladiator fights, and social activities. The Forum opened about 500 BC around the time that the Roman Republic was founded.

Today, you can walk through and explore the remains. Here you will find the Senate House, the Temple of Saturn, the Arch of Titus, and the Rostra where important speeches were given.

The Colosseum entrance fee also includes admission to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill.

Santa Maria delle Grazie is a gothic church located in Milan. It is home to one of the most famous paintings in the world called “The Last Supper”. The talented artist Leonardo da Vinci painted the masterpiece between 1494 and 1498. The artwork represents the last dinner Jesus and his disciples shared together before Jesus’ crucifixion.

You will want to purchase tickets in advance if you want to see the painting. Visiting times and group sizes are limited.

The Spainish Steps climb from Piazza di Spagna to the Trinita dei Monti. They were constucted in 1723 by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. This is a very popular photo spot for tourists so expect it to be very busy. Climb the 135 steps to the top to get a nice view of the surrounding piazza.

The Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, commonly known as St Mark's Basilica, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice, northern Italy. It is the most famous of the city's churches and one of the best known examples of Italo-Byzantine architecture. It lies at the eastern end of the Piazza San Marco, adjacent and connected to the Doge's Palace. Originally it was the chapel of the Doge, and has been the city's cathedral only since 1807, when it became the seat of the Patriarch of Venice.

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Trevi Fountain is located in the Trevi district of Rome. Its origins date all the way back to 19 BC, when Marcus Agrippa, a Roman consul and lieutenant to Julius Caesar, commissioned an aqueduct to provide water for the baths he had built in the city. It was used to fill three fountains in Rome’s Via del Corso in the 12th century. While there were restorations and new aqueducts put in place here over the years, the fountain you see today was built in baroque style between 1732 and 1736, making it nearly 300 years old. The opulent masterpiece stands 85 feet high and is about 160 feet wide, as the city’s largest and most famous fountain.

The arena was built in the 1st century AD, around AD 30, during the reign of Emperor Augustus. It was designed to host large public events, such as gladiator fights, animal hunts, and other spectacles that were popular in ancient Rome. The arena could hold about 30,000 spectators, making it one of the largest amphitheaters of its time.

The Victor Emmanuel II National Monument, also known as the Mole del Vittoriano or simply Vittoriano, is a large national monument built between 1885 and 1935 to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. It stands in the centre of ancient Rome and is connected to the modern one by the streets that radiate from Piazza Venezia

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Villa Adriana, also known as Hadrian's Villa, is a large and impressive ancient Roman villa located near Tivoli, Italy. It was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD as a retreat from Rome and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.