Streets squares and districts to visit Italy

A fascinating locality perched on its hill overlooking the Amalfi coast. In the Middle Ages, this very active and related commune in Amalfi has a significant role in trade with the East and Sicily, which will give birth to Arab-Norman architectural style. See on the central square the most famous building: Villa Rufolo to the complex architecture due especially to the changes made in the th and th centuries. The influence of Islamic art is evident in design and decoration. Also interested in the Duomo, founded in 1087, largely reformed in the th century and completely refurbished in baroque times.

If the medieval squares of Italian cities rival each other in beauty, Volterra is one of the most beautiful. The Plaza de los Priores is lined with severe but superb palaces, including the Episcopal Palace (Palazzo Vescovile), an old municipal granary, the elegant Palazzo del Monte di Pietà, the Palazzo Pretorial (Palazzo Pretorio) and its Torre del Porcellino with a unique silhouette at its top. Among this mosaic, the 13th century Palazzo dei Priori (Palace of the Priors) is the oldest municipal palace in Tuscany.

Piazza del Duomo, the religious heart of Siena, is now a compulsory point of passage for your walk in the city! The Plaza del Duomo is bordered by the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, the neo-Gothic palace of the archbishopric (palazzo Arcivescovile), the palace of the Governor of the Medicis and the superb, splendid, magnificent (words are missing...) Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, a masterpiece of Sienese Gothic. In the shape of an "L", the Place du Dôme continues towards Piazza Jacopo della Quercia on the right side of the cathedral.

Until the th century, the Porta Ticinese district, consisting of a dense network of navigli (canals), was considered the port area of Milan. The Navigli district is one of the most characteristic of Milan. Its bridges and its boxes di ringhiera (typical Milanese houses characterized by internal courtyards surrounded by balconies with flower railings) make us discover the old face of the city, which is now virtually extinct. For the sake of tradition, don't miss a tour at the Vicolo de'Lavandai, a small alley on Naviglio Grande, where you can still see a th century washing machine. In the evening, the Navigli district is very popular with young Milanese people. There are numerous bars, cafés and typical restaurants and, during the summer months, there are bars and terraces along the banks, making Navigli an ideal place for the walk and the dredge.

A large, lively place, ideal for a relaxing break, in the south, the church Santa Maria Formosa and where a market is held in the week. It celebrated the celebration of the Twelve Mary. On the right side of the campo, notice a beautiful well coping carved by Jacopo Veranda.

It is the most emblematic place in the city. Surrounded by mansions built between the th and th centuries and dominated by a tower tower dating back to the th century, the square takes its name from the three stone lions that decorate it. The elegant Balestrino Palace closes one side of the square: it preserves in a series of stelas and busts of Roman epoch of historic value. A stele mentioned the reconstruction of the Roman city of Albenga by General Costanzo in the th century. C.C.

In Roman times, the Piazza della Repubblica, where the cardo and the decumanus meet, was home to a forum, the political and economic heart of ancient Florentia. Under the Medici there was a market, the Mercato Vecchio. It is a pleasant square nowadays lined with terraces, an obligatory passage to reach the Mercato Nuovo. This elliptical square is one of the lungs of the city because depending on the streets taken, very different aspects of Florence present themselves to the visitor. A remnant of the past, the Colonna dell'Abbondanza represents the exact centre of Florence.

You will surely cross this island to go from the historical centre to Trastevere. Located in front of the portico of Octavia, the legend tells that it would be none other than the petrification of the ship that brought Aesculapius to Rome... A temple was built in his honour on the lower tip of the island, later replaced by a church: San Bartolomeo. The hospital run by the brothers of Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, called Fatebenefratelli ("Do good, my brothers") covers almost the entire perimeter of the island. The island of Tiberina is a very pleasant place to walk.

If the prices of the Montenapoleone street are not adapted to the size of your wallet, not even in a period of balances, you can break up and report to you a memory of the Italian fashion purchased in via Torino. There are some of the most diverse stores including the French brands (Fnac, Celio, etc.). Not far from Torino is the Pinacothèque Ambrosiana, considered one of Italy's richest and one of the most beautiful of Italy. She houses works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphaël (the Athens School outline), Caravaggio (the Dead Nature), Tiziano…

A medieval political heart, the vital centre of the city and today a major tourist attraction, the main square of the Republic of Cortona is home to important monuments. Among them, the palace of the Captain of the People, also known as Palazzo Passerini, was built in the 13th century, originally as a tower house, then transformed into a palace in the 16th century. As for the communal palace (palazzo Comunale), now the town hall, it dates back to the 12th century and was enlarged several times, particularly in the 16th century. The staircase and its square bell tower date from the 16th century. Unfortunately, the municipal palace cannot be visited, it is used for certain ceremonies, such as weddings. But we can tell you that it houses a Council Chamber famous for its Renaissance fireplace and 19th century frescoes. Finally, the last building that stands out in this square of the Republic is the Laparelli Palace, built by Cristofanello in 1533, and located at the end of Via Guelfa. The square, almost like a balcony, overlooks the neighbouring Signorelli piazza.

In the past, the piazza della Repubblica was the meeting point between the cardo and the decumano:the two main streets of Roman urban planning that constituted the north-south and east-west axis of the ancient Cortona respectively. This meeting point formed the ancient forum where, as you know, Roman citizens gathered to discuss business, whether commercial, political, economic, judicial or religious.

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.