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