Italy has 44 UNESCO world heritage sites with 18 in northern Italy. Northern Italy's world heritage sites include city centers, archaeological sites, and natural sites. Cities and sites are listed in the order in which they were inscribed by UNESCO - from Italy's first world heritage site in 1979, the rock drawings of Valcamonica, to its most recent inscription in 2009, the Dolomite Mountain Range.
More Italian UNESCO Sites: Central Italy | Southern Italy | Sicily and Sardinia
1. Valcamonica - Rock Drawings
Val Camonica Rock Carving © James Martin
The prehistoric petroglyphs of the Valcamonica was Italy's first UNESCO World Heritage site, designated in 1979. La Valle Delle Incisioni, the Valley of Engravings, is the largest collection of prehistoric rock carvings in Europe with more than 140,000 petroglyphs done over a period of 8,000 years. In addition to prehistoric sites, the beautiful Valcamonica is dotted with picturesque medieval villages and has many hiking trails.
2. Milan - Santa Maria delle Grazie and the Last Supper
The Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie with Leonardo da Vinci's famous Last Supper painting is a top sight in Milan. If you're going be sure to book tickets ahead (see link above for visiting information). Both the convent and the painting are from the 15th century.
3. Venice and the Venetian Lagoon
Basilica San Marco © Martha Bakerjian
4. Vicenza and Palladian Villas of the Veneto
Vicenza, east of Venice, is the heart of the Veneto region and was an important city from the 15th through 18th centuries. Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio designed many of Vicenza's buildings in the 16th century classical Roman architecture. The Basilica Palladiana is considered by many to be Palladio's masterpiece. The Palladian Villas in the countryside, also designed by Palladio, were built as summer homes for well-to-do Venetians and some of them are now open to the public. See Veneto Map for location.5. Crespi d'Adda
Crespi d'Adda in Capriate San Gervasio in the Lombardy region was chosen as "an outstanding example of the 19th- and early 20th-century company towns built in Europe and North America by enlightened industrialists to meet the workers' needs".6. Ferrara and the Po Delta
Castello Estense de Ferrara © James Martin
Ferrara, on the Po Delta in Emilia Romagna, is a walled Renaissance city with lots of great examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. A medieval castle dominates the old town and its 12th century cathedral is a good example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. During the Renaissance, Ferrara was an intellectual and artistic center. Ferrara was designed according to the late fifteenth century principles of the "ideal city".
7. Ravenna - Early Christian Monuments
Ravenna Mosaics © James Martin
8. Padua - Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden © James Martin
9. Modena - Cathedral and Monuments
Modena Cathedral © Martha Bakerjian
10. Portovenere and Cinque Terre
Portovenere © James Martin
Portovenere and the Cinque Terre are picturesque villages on the coast near La Spezia. Portovenere, on the Gulf of Poets, has a harbor lined with brightly colored houses and narrow medieval streets leading up the hill from the ancient city gate to a castle. Cinque Terre, five lands, are five car-free villages connected by hiking trails, trains, and ferries.
