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're building this the same way as everywhere else here: one place at a time, done properly, starting with Rome.
Rome alone holds two of Catholicism's most important buildings inside the separate state of Vatican City, two of Rome's own four papal basilicas, the best-preserved building to survive from antiquity anywhere in the city, and a church with three older buildings stacked directly underneath it. That's before you get to Florence's Duomo, Venice's St Mark's, Milan's cathedral, Assisi's Basilica of St Francis, or any of a dozen other Italian churches that would anchor a guide to almost any other country. Italy simply has too much of this to cover well in one pass, so we're not trying to.
Where to start
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.
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 six churches, so far
- 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.
Tickets, tours and where to stay
Rome is the obvious first stop for a church-focused trip to Italy, and the only city this guide currently covers in full.
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
Rome and Vatican City are the first chapter of this guide to Italy; Florence, Venice, Milan, Assisi and the rest of the country's great churches are on the list for later, built one region at a time in the same way as the rest of this site, rather than published thinly everywhere at once.