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Sights of Italy

Italy is as widely varied as it is deeply historical. From the northern alps of Piedmont to the Mediterranean beaches of Amalfi, from the sophistication of Lombardy to the magic of Veneto and the friendly chaos of Campania – there is something for everyone in the Sights of Italy


  • regions Abbey of San Fruttuoso • • • arrow Abbey of San Fruttuoso • • •
  • Academy of Fine Arts • • • arrow Academy of Fine Arts • • •
  • Angevin Castle • • • arrow Angevin Castle • • •
  • Arch of Constantine • • • arrow Arch of Constantine • • •
  • Arch of Titus • • • arrow Arch of Titus • • •
  • Basilica di San Marco • • • arrow Basilica di San Marco • • •
  • Basilica St. Anthony • • • arrow Basilica St. Anthony • • •
  • Bridge of Sighs • • • arrow Bridge of Sighs • • •
  • Cappella degli Scrovegni • • • arrow Cappella degli Scrovegni • • •
  • Casa di Guilietta • • • arrow Casa di Guilietta • • •
  • Castello Sforzesco • • • arrow Castello Sforzesco • • •
  • Castelvecchio • • • arrow Castelvecchio • • •
  • Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli • • • arrow Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli • • •
  • Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie • • • arrow Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie • • •
  • Colosseum • • • arrow Colosseum • • •
  • Doges Palace • • • arrow Doges Palace • • •
  • Galleria Vittorio • • • arrow Galleria Vittorio • • •
  • Giardini Pubblici • • • arrow Giardini Pubblici • • •
  • Grand Canal • • • arrow Grand Canal • • •
  • House of Loreius Tiburtinus • • • arrow House of Loreius Tiburtinus • • •
  • House of the Faun • • • arrow House of the Faun • • •
  • House of the Vettii • • • arrow House of the Vettii • • •
  • La Scala Opera House • • • arrow La Scala Opera House • • •
  • Largo Argentina • • • arrow Largo Argentina • • •
  • Leaning Tower • • • arrow Leaning Tower • • •
  • Little Theatre • • • arrow Little Theatre • • •
  • Marina Grande • • • arrow Marina Grande • • •
  • Marina Piccola Lido • • • arrow Marina Piccola Lido • • •
  • Mount Vesuvius • • • arrow Mount Vesuvius • • •
  • Musei Civici degli Eremitani • • • arrow Musei Civici degli Eremitani • • •
  • Museo Alessandro Volta • • • arrow Museo Alessandro Volta • • •
  • Museo Correale di Terranova • • • arrow Museo Correale di Terranova • • •
  • Museo Nazionale di San Matteo • • • arrow Museo Nazionale di San Matteo • • •
  • Paintings of Narcissus • • • arrow Paintings of Narcissus • • •
  • Palazzo Reale-Milan • • • arrow Palazzo Reale-Milan • • •
  • Palazzo Reale-Naples • • • arrow Palazzo Reale-Naples • • •
  • Palazzo Reale-Pisa • • • arrow Palazzo Reale-Pisa • • •
  • Palazzo Vecchio • • • arrow Palazzo Vecchio • • •
  • Pantheon • • • arrow Pantheon • • •
  • Piazza della Signoria • • • arrow Piazza della Signoria • • •
  • Pinacoteca di Brera • • • arrow Pinacoteca di Brera • • •
  • Pisa Baptistry • • • arrow Pisa Baptistry • • •
  • Pompeii • • • arrow Pompeii • • •
  • Ponte Scaligero • • • arrow Ponte Scaligero • • •
  • Ponte Vecchio • • • arrow Ponte Vecchio • • •
  • Roman Forum • • • arrow Roman Forum • • •
  • Saint Marks Square • • • arrow Saint Marks Square • • •
  • Saint Peters Basilica • • • arrow Saint Peters Basilica • • •
  • San Carlo Opera House • • • arrow San Carlo Opera House • • •
  • San Croce Church • • • arrow San Croce Church • • •
  • San Zeno Maggiore • • • arrow San Zeno Maggiore • • •
  • Santa Lucia • • • arrow Santa Lucia • • •
  • Scuola di San Rocco • • • arrow Scuola di San Rocco • • •
  • Sistine Chapel • • • arrow Sistine Chapel • • •
  • The Amphitheatre • • • arrow The Amphitheatre • • •
  • The Broletto • • • arrow The Broletto • • •
  • The Cathedral and Duomo • • • arrow The Cathedral and Duomo • • •
  • The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie • • • arrow The Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie • • •
  • The Duomo • • • arrow The Duomo • • •
  • The Duomo Pisa • • • arrow The Duomo Pisa • • •
  • The Forum • • • arrow The Forum • • •
  • The Grand Theatre • • • arrow The Grand Theatre • • •
  • The House of the Tragic Poet • • • arrow The House of the Tragic Poet • • •
  • The Jewish Cemetery • • • arrow The Jewish Cemetery • • •
  • The Jewish Ghetto • • • arrow The Jewish Ghetto • • •
  • The Museo Bottacin • • • arrow The Museo Bottacin • • •
  • The Museo Civico • • • arrow The Museo Civico • • •
  • The Palestra • • • arrow The Palestra • • •
  • The Vatican • • • arrow The Vatican • • •
  • Town Hall • • • arrow Town Hall • • •
  • Uffizi Gallery • • • arrow Uffizi Gallery • • •
  • Vatican Museums • • • arrow Vatican Museums • • •
  • Villa dei Misteri • • • arrow Villa dei Misteri • • •
  • Villa Olmo • • • arrow Villa Olmo • • •
  • Wedding Cake • • • arrow Wedding Cake • • •
Abbey of San Fruttuoso

The enchanting thousand-year-old abbey of San Fruttuoso occupies a picturesque little bay at the southern foot of Monte di Portofino. The only way to get there is on foot or by boat, dozens of which shuttle backwards and forwards from almost every harbor along the coast.

On summer weekends, both the tiny harbor and the church may be uncomfortably crowded. Out of season, however (or at twilight, courtesy of the occasional night cruises), San Fruttuoso is peaceful and an excellent place for relaxing.

The Abbazia di San Fruttuoso was originally built to house the relics of the third-century martyr St. Fructuosus, which were brought here from Spain after the Moorish invasion in 711.

It was rebuilt in 984 with an unusual Byzantine-style cupola and distinctive waterside arches. In later centuries it became a Benedictine abbey; the Doria family took over in the 16th century.

Explore the small, elegant church, with its compact little cloister and half-dozen Doria tombs, and wander to the heartland, where a 1954 bronze statue known as the Cristo degli Abissi – Christ of the Depths – rests eight fathoms down on the seabed, honoring the memory of divers who have lost their lives at sea and protecting those still working beneath the waves.