Tourist Attractions & Monuments Italy

The historic centre of Alghero is full of ancient palaces. Many of them reflect the Catalan influence. Among them, the Palazzo d'Albis erected in Piazza Civica in the 16th century is a remarkable vestige of Catalan-Aragonese architecture of that time. Charles V stayed there in 1541. Later, the palace became the property of the Albis family and was the home of the governor of the city. The Palazzo Machin, built at the beginning of the 17th century, has a magnificent Renaissance portal and Gothic-Catalan style windows.

Built in the first half of the th century by Giuseppe Barbieri to become the seat of the Austrian Civic Guard, it is a great neoclassical palace built on the model of ancient Roman temples. Inside are two great paintings by Paolo Farinati and Felice Brusasorci illustrating episodes in the history of Verona. Since 1869, it has been the seat of the municipality.

At the end of the th century, at the time of the tyrant Ezzelino da Romano and repeated several times thereafter, this tower is on the west side of Piazza Amphitheatre and was part of Cittadella.

The Province of Brescia has set up a network of reception and information offices, which work in collaboration with the municipalities and local companies and associations involved in tourism. In Sirmione, for example, there are two InfoPoints, one of which deals specifically with the hotel offer. It also provides information about thermal baths, heritage tours, excursions to natural parks (Monte Baldo, Alto Garda Bresciano), recreational activities (Gardaland, Aquapark Canevaworld), wine and food, and the agenda of cultural events.

This palace dating back to the th century was restored to the Renaissance. The ground floor with the arcades is crossed by two lanes which intersect under a big vault. Its Renaissance facade is now home to the tourist office.

East of the basilica (take the bridge spanning Contrà San Michele Retrone), a district typical of Vicenza where you can admire splendid palaces of the 14th century Venetian Gothic style. It is an old shopping area where the boats (barche) loaded with luggage were used stationing.

Conceived as a lair for the troops during rainy days, the construction of this palace began in 1610 by Domenico Curtoni (disciple of Michele Sanmicheli), but the works ended only around the th century by Giuseppe Barbieri. The first floor is characterized by a porch with thirteen arcades. Finally, this palace regularly hosts exhibitions.

This little jewel in the Liberty style, Italian Art Nouveau, was built in the late 1920s. In the waiting room, the walls are decorated with large paintings by the famous Sardinian artist Giuseppe Biasi (1885-1945). They depict the villages and landscapes that the local train passed through on its way, with the characters appearing in traditional costumes. Next to the station, the workshop-hangar preserves rare examples of old locomotives and wagons.