Churches to Visit in Italy
Italy has more churches worth a special trip than any other country on Earth, which makes it the hardest place in this whole guide to do properly. Rather than publish a thin, scattered list covering the whole country at once, we are building it one city at a time: Rome and the Vatican first, then the three great cathedrals of the north — Florence, Milan and Venice — Santa Croce and the mosaics of Ravenna, Assisi, Siena and Leonardo’s Last Supper, Orvieto, Padua and Monreale in Sicily, Sant’Ambrogio in Milan, Superga above Turin, Amalfi, Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, and now Naples, with its cathedral and the Cappella Sansevero.
Rome holds two of Catholicism's most important buildings inside the separate state of Vatican City, two of its own four papal basilicas, the best-preserved building to survive from antiquity, and a church with three older buildings stacked directly underneath it. The north has the cathedrals: Brunelleschi's dome in Florence, the marble spires of Milan, and the gold mosaics of St Mark's in Venice. All three are an easy train ride apart, and between them they make the classic first trip to Italy. Ravenna, about an hour from Bologna, has some of the finest sixth-century mosaics anywhere.
Where to start
Naples Cathedral
The Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, Santa Restituta and a baptistery of around 400. Free.
Cappella Sansevero
The Veiled Christ, a dead Christ under a veil carved from the same block of marble. Booking compulsory; €12.
Sant’Apollinare Nuovo
Theodoric’s church of around 500, its nave lined with processions of saints in gold mosaic. Combined ticket with San Vitale.
Amalfi Cathedral
Sixty-two steps, bronze doors from Constantinople, the Cloister of Paradise and the crypt of St Andrew. About €4.
Sant’Ambrogio
Milan’s oldest great church: St Ambrose’s tomb, a golden altar and Romanesque brick. Free.
Basilica of Superga
Juvarra’s votive basilica on its hill above Turin, with the Savoy tombs and a view of the Alps. Free.
Orvieto Cathedral
A facade of gold mosaic and carved marble, and Signorelli’s end of the world inside. €8.
Monreale Cathedral
The Norman kings’ cathedral above Palermo: walls of gold mosaic and a famous cloister. Free.
Basilica of St Anthony, Padua
The saint’s tomb, Donatello’s bronzes and Altichiero’s frescoes. Free; no photographs.
Santa Maria della Salute
Venice’s plague church at the mouth of the Grand Canal. Free; Titian and Tintoretto in the sacristy.
Pisa Cathedral
The masterpiece behind the Leaning Tower. Free with a timed pass from the ticket office.
Basilica of St Francis, Assisi
Two churches over the saint’s tomb, painted by Giotto, Cimabue and Simone Martini. Free.
Siena Cathedral
Striped marble, Pinturicchio’s library and an inlaid floor, uncovered for part of each year.
Santa Maria delle Grazie
Leonardo’s Last Supper: a fifteen-minute slot, booked months ahead. The church is free.
St Peter's Basilica
The largest church on Earth, over the traditional grave of the apostle Peter, with Michelangelo's dome and Bernini's baldachin.
Florence Cathedral
Free to enter; the dome climb needs the Brunelleschi Pass and a timed slot that sells out weeks ahead.
St Mark's Basilica
Eight thousand square metres of gold mosaic, the Pala d'Oro and the horses — and no tourists on Sunday mornings.
San Vitale, Ravenna
Justinian and Theodora in sixth-century mosaic. Combined tickets only, and book Galla Placidia next door.
Santa Croce
The tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo, Giotto’s restored chapel and Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel.
Milan Cathedral
135 spires, 3,400 statues and a roof you can walk on. Dress for the door: the rules are enforced.
The Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo's ceiling and Last Judgment, still used today to elect popes.
The Pantheon
A nearly 1,900-year-old Roman temple, consecrated a church in 609 and still intact because of it.
Practical notes for the whole country
| Opening hours | Most Italian churches open early and close for a few hours over lunch, or run continuously into the early evening; major basilicas and Vatican sites keep longer, separately published hours of their own. Always check the specific church's own site before visiting — hours shift for services and holidays with little notice |
|---|---|
| Admission | The great majority of Italian churches are free to enter; a handful of famous exceptions, such as the Pantheon and the Vatican Museums, charge a ticket specifically because visitor numbers would otherwise overwhelm a working place of worship |
| Dress code | Shoulders and knees covered almost everywhere, strictly enforced at major and Vatican sites, more loosely elsewhere |
| Photography | Generally allowed for personal use, with specific bans at a small number of sites — the Sistine Chapel most notably |
| Getting around | Italy's rail network connects its major church cities well; within Rome, the two Metro lines and a lot of walking cover everything on this guide so far |
All twenty-five churches, so far
Rome and the Vatican
- St Peter's Basilica The largest church in the world, in Vatican City.
- The Sistine Chapel Michelangelo's ceiling, reached through the Vatican Museums.
- The Pantheon Rome's best-preserved ancient building, a temple turned church in 609.
- Santa Maria Maggiore One of Rome's four papal basilicas, and Pope Francis's tomb since 2025.
- St John Lateran The Pope's actual cathedral as Bishop of Rome, not St Peter's.
- Basilica of San Clemente Three buildings stacked underground, the oldest a first-century Roman house.
Northern and central Italy
- Florence Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore and Brunelleschi's dome, with the Baptistery and Giotto's bell tower.
- Milan Cathedral The Duomo: Italy's largest church, and a marble roof among the spires.
- Santa Croce Florence's Franciscan church and pantheon: Michelangelo, Galileo and Giotto.
- St Mark's Basilica The doges' Byzantine church, built for the body of St Mark.
- Santa Maria della Salute Longhena’s domed plague church, and Tintoretto’s Marriage at Cana.
- San Vitale, Ravenna Justinian and Theodora in mosaic, with the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia next door.
- Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna Theodoric’s palace church: processions of saints, the Magi and the port of Classe in mosaic.
- Santa Maria delle Grazie Leonardo’s Last Supper and Bramante’s tribune, in Milan.
- Basilica of St Francis The tomb of St Francis in Assisi, and the frescoes of his life.
- Siena Cathedral Striped marble, Nicola Pisano’s pulpit and the inlaid floor.
- Pisa Cathedral The Romanesque cathedral of the Piazza dei Miracoli, and Giovanni Pisano’s pulpit.
- Orvieto Cathedral Maitani’s facade and Signorelli’s frescoes in the San Brizio Chapel.
- Basilica of St Anthony, Padua The tomb of St Anthony, with Donatello’s high altar.
- Sant’Ambrogio St Ambrose’s own church in Milan, with the golden altar.
- Basilica of Superga Juvarra’s domed basilica above Turin, and the tombs of the House of Savoy.
The south
- Amalfi Cathedral St Andrew’s cathedral on the Amalfi Coast, with its Arab-Norman cloister and bell tower.
- Cappella Sansevero, Naples Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ and the marbles of the princes of Sansevero. Booking compulsory.
- Naples Cathedral The Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, Santa Restituta and the ancient baptistery.
Sicily
- Monreale Cathedral Norman Sicily’s cathedral of gold mosaic, with its cloister of paired columns.
Tickets, tours and where to stay
Rome needs the most planning: the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel sell out. In the north, book the Florence dome and St Mark's for timed slots before you travel; Milan's terraces are easier, but not in high summer. Florence, Venice and Milan are all within about two and a half hours of each other by fast train.
Tour and hotel links go to GetYourGuide and Booking.com. This site earns nothing from them at present — they are here because they are the quickest way to check what is actually available.
Coming next
Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Cefalù and Palermo’s Norman churches, and the other great churches of Florence, Venice and Milan are on the list, built in the same way as the rest of this site: one city at a time, done properly.