Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice may be among the top tourist places to visit in Italy, so these smaller cities, because of their smaller size, often get passed up for the larger cities of Italy. Don’t be one of them!
If you are looking for some of the best vacation spots in to see in Italy, a place where tourists should visit, you should take a look at the following four cities. Rome, Florence, Naples, and Venice may be among the top tourist places to visit in Italy, so these smaller cities, because of their smaller size, often get passed up for the larger cities of Italy. Don’t be one of those people that pass up and overlook these beautiful, ancient, and unique locations, since they offer cuisines, architecture, art, and history that you will not find in other places. Make sure to include them in your list of places to visit when visiting Italy.
1. Matera
Matera is a city in southern Italy near the heel of Italy’s boot. It is currently the capital of the Italian province of Matera, although historians believe the city has been around since the 3rd century BC. This means it has been around longer than Christianity.
So, what is there to see in this old city? The first thing that you should check out should be an area known as the “Sassi di Matera,” which means “stones of Matera,” and is the ancient town around which the modern city of Matera grew up around. This area used to be poverty-stricken since inhabitants always lived in the area, but has in recent year been redeveloped and includes many bars, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. There are also many ancient churches and monasteries in town, some of which are listed with the World Monuments Fund – these include the Matera Cathedral, the Church of Sant’Agostino, the Church of San Giovanni Battista, and the San Pietro Caveoso, all of which are over 500 years old. The Tramontano Castle is something else you will want to see. You will also want to learn about excavations that discovered whole housing structures from ancient times, as well as an underground cistern reservoir and water channels that were used by the Romans, and includes columns and a vaulted ceiling – these all helped to provide water for ancient residents.
2. Ravenna
This city, in central Italy, near the coast of the Adriatic Sea, was once the capital of the Roman Empire when Roman Emperors decided to leave Rome for the quietness of the town of Ravenna. After the Western Roman Empire collapsed, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, reconquered by the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), later was controlled by the Franks, all before becoming a part of the Kingdom of the Lombards. This is another city that has been around for a very long time – so long it makes everything in my home country, the United States, seem very new in comparison.
So, what sites should you see in Ravenna? There are many churches, basilicas, other ancient buildings, as well as a couple of museums. You will want to see the Basilica of San Vitale, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, the Mausoleum of Theoderic, the Arian Baptistry, the Archiepiscopal Chapel, the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, and the Baptistry of Neon, all of which were built in the 5th and 6th centuries AD and are on the list of World Heritage Sites. You will also want to visit the Church of the Spirito Santo (Holy Spirit), the Church of St. John the Evangelist, the St. Francis Basilica, the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, the Church of San Giovanni Battista, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Porto, the Communal Gallery, the Venetian Rocca Brancaleone, the Palace of Theoderic, the Church of Santa Eufemia, the Stone Carpets Domus, as well as the National Museum and the Archiepiscopal Museum. There are many things to see in this historic city.
3. Urbino
Urbino, also in central Italy, is located at the foothills of the Northern Apennines and the Tuscan-Romagnolo Apennines, and is less than an hour from the Adriatic Sea. It is also only a couple of hours from Ravenna. It is an ancient walled city that is also considered a World Heritage Site because of its well-preserved pieces of architecture and art from the Renaissance era.
When you visit this city, you should make sure that you visit the Palazzo Ducale, which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, which is a gallery that houses some very important Renaissance paintings – this is probably the most notable place to visit in Urbino. You will also want to check out the Palazzo Albani, the Palazzo Odasi, the Palazzo Passionei, the Albornoz Fortress, the Duomo di Urbino Cathedral, the Church of San Giovanni Battista, the Church of Sant’Agostino, the Church of San Francesco, the Oratory of San Giuseppe, the Church of San Bernardino, and the Orto Botanico (a botanical garden).
4. Lecce
Lecce is in far southern Italy in the boot of Italy’s heel, also known as the Salentine Peninsula. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, and offers many examples of Baroque architecture. According to some historical sources, the city has been around at least since the 3rd century BC.
There are many ancient churches, Roman architecture, castles, and museums that you will want to visit while in Lecce. These include the the Church of the Holy Cross, the Lecce Cathedral, the Church of San Niccolo and Cataldo, the Calestines’ Convent, the Church of the Theatines, the Church of San Matteo, the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Church of Santa Chiara, the Church of San Francesco della Scarpa, the Roman Amphitheatre, the statue of Saint Oronzo, the Torre del Parco (Park Tower), the Sedile Palace, the Castle of Charles V, the Triumphal Arch, the Palazzo dei Celestini, the obelisk, and the archeological museums Sigismondo Castromediano and Faggiano. You should also check out the Orto Botanico di Lecce – the local botanical garden.
Conclusion
Keep these four smaller cities on your list of places to visit while vacationing in Italy, and you will not be disappointed. You can rest assured that you will be amazed by all the beautiful and ancient architecture still standing in these places. And, it will help you reconnect with our past.
