The Trulli of Alberobello

The trulli , limestone dwellings found in the southern region of Puglia, are remarkable examples of drywall (mortarless) construction, a prehistoric building technique still in use in this region. The trulli are made of roughly worked limestone boulders collected from neighbouring fields. Characteristically, they feature pyramidal, domed or conical roofs built up of corbelled limestone slabs.

 Italy

Province of Bari, Puglia Region

N40 46 57 E17 14 12.984

Date of Inscription: 1996

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(v)

Property : 10.52 ha

Ref: 787

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera

This is the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement in the Mediterranean region, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. The first inhabited zone dates from the Palaeolithic, while later settlements illustrate a number of significant stages in human history. Matera is in the southern region of Basilicata.

 Italy

City and Province of Matera, Region of Basilicata

N40 39 59 E16 36 37

Date of Inscription: 1993

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(v)

Property : 1,016 ha

Buffer zone: 4,365 ha

Ref: 670

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily)

The eight towns in south-eastern Sicily: Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo, Ragusa and Scicli, were all rebuilt after 1693 on or beside towns existing at the time of the earthquake which took place in that year. They represent a considerable collective undertaking, successfully carried out at a high level of architectural and artistic achievement. Keeping within the late Baroque style of the day, they also depict distinctive innovations in town planning and urban building.

 Italy

Provinces of Catania, Ragusa, and Syracuse, Sicily

N36 53 35.5 E15 4 8.1

Date of Inscription: 2002

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)(v)

Property : 112.79 ha

Buffer zone: 305.8 ha

Ref: 1024rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of San Gimignano

'San Gimignano delle belle Torri' is in Tuscany, 56 km south of Florence. It served as an important relay point for pilgrims travelling to or from Rome on the Via Francigena. The patrician families who controlled the town built around 72 tower-houses (some as high as 50 m) as symbols of their wealth and power. Although only 14 have survived, San Gimignano has retained its feudal atmosphere and appearance. The town also has several masterpieces of 14th- and 15th-century Italian art.

 Italy

Province of Siena, Tuscany

N43 28 5.016 E11 2 30.012

Date of Inscription: 1990

Criteria: (i)(iii)(iv)

Property : 13.88 ha

Ref: 550

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of Siena

Siena is the embodiment of a medieval city. Its inhabitants pursued their rivalry with Florence right into the area of urban planning. Throughout the centuries, they preserved their city's Gothic appearance, acquired between the 12th and 15th centuries. During this period the work of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers and Simone Martini was to influence the course of Italian and, more broadly, European art. The whole city of Siena, built around the Piazza del Campo, was devised as a work of art that blends into the surrounding landscape.

 Italy

City and Province of Siena, Tuscany

N43 19 7 E11 19 54

Date of Inscription: 1995

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)

Property : 170 ha

Buffer zone: 9,907 ha

Ref: 717

Source: http://whc.unesco.org 

Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy

Lago D'Orta

The nine Sacri Monti (Sacred Mountains) of northern Italy are groups of chapels and other architectural features created in the late 16th and 17th centuries and dedicated to different aspects of the Christian faith. In addition to their symbolic spiritual meaning, they are of great beauty by virtue of the skill with which they have been integrated into the surrounding natural landscape of hills, forests and lakes. They also house much important artistic material in the form of wall paintings and statuary.

• The Sacro Monte of Nuova Gerusalemme (New Jerusalem) of Varallo Sesia (1486), Varallo Sesia, province of Vercelli
• The Sacro Monte of Santa Maria Assunta, Serralunga di Crea (1589), province of Alessandria
• The Sacro Monte of San Francesco, Orta San Giulio (1590), province of Novara
• The Sacro Monte of the Rosary, Varese (1598)
• The Sacro Monte of the Blessed Virgin, Oropa (1617), province of Biella
• The Sacro Monte of the Blessed Virgin of Succour, Ossuccio (1635), province of Como
• The Sacro Monte of the Holy Trinity, Ghiffa (1591), province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
• The Sacro Monte and Calvary, Domodossola (1657), province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
• The Sacro Monte of Belmonte, Valperga (1712), Metropolitan City of Turin

 Italy

Regions of Lombardy and Piedmont

N45 58 28.4 E9 10 10.4

Date of Inscription: 2003

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 90.5 ha

Buffer zone: 721.9 ha

Ref: 1068rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto)

The Ligurian coast between Cinque Terre and Portovenere is a cultural landscape of great scenic and cultural value. The layout and disposition of the small towns and the shaping of the surrounding landscape, overcoming the disadvantages of a steep, uneven terrain, encapsulate the continuous history of human settlement in this region over the past millennium.

 Italy

Province of La Spezia, Liguria Region

N44 6 24.984 E9 43 45.012

Date of Inscription: 1997

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(v)

Property : 4,689.25 ha

Ref: 826

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto

Founded in the 2nd century B.C. in northern Italy, Vicenza prospered under Venetian rule from the early 15th to the end of the 18th century. The work of Andrea Palladio (1508–80), based on a detailed study of classical Roman architecture, gives the city its unique appearance. Palladio's urban buildings, as well as his villas, scattered throughout the Veneto region, had a decisive influence on the development of architecture. His work inspired a distinct architectural style known as Palladian, which spread to England and other European countries, and also to North America.

• City of Vicenza including 23 buildings by Palladio
• Villa Trissino
• Villa Gazzotti Grimani
• Villa Almerico Capra, «La Rotonda»
• Villa Angarano
• Villa Caldogno
• Villa Chiericati
• Villa Forni Cerato
• Villa Godi
• Villa Pisani
• Villa Poiana
• Villa Saraceno
• Villa Thiene
• Villa Trissino
• Villa Valmarana - Bolzano Vicentino
• Villa Valmarana - Monticello Conte Otto
• Villa Badoer
• Villa Barbaro
• Villa Emo
• Villa Zeno
• Villa Foscari,
• Villa Pisani
• Villa Cornaro
• Villa Piovene

 Italy

Provinces of Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza, Veneto Region

N45 32 57 E11 32 58

Date of Inscription: 1994

Extension: 1996

Criteria: (i)(ii)

Property : 333.87 ha

Ref: 712bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Costiera Amalfitana

The Amalfi coast is an area of great physical beauty and natural diversity. It has been intensively settled by human communities since the early Middle Ages. There are a number of towns such as Amalfi and Ravello with architectural and artistic works of great significance. The rural areas show the versatility of the inhabitants in adapting their use of the land to the diverse nature of the terrain, which ranges from terraced vineyards and orchards on the lower slopes to wide upland pastures.

 Italy

Province of Salerno, Campania

N40 38 60 E14 35 60

Date of Inscription: 1997

Criteria: (ii)(iv)(v)

Property : 11,231 ha 

Ref: 830

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli

Palazzo Reale (Genoa) Stefano Balbi

The Strade Nuove and the system of the Palazzi dei Rolli in Genoa’s historic centre date from the late 16th and early 17th centuries when the Republic of Genoa was at the height of its financial and seafaring power. The site represents the first example in Europe of an urban development project parcelled out by a public authority within a unitary framework and associated to a particular system of ‘public lodging’ in private residences, as decreed by the Senate in 1576. The site includes an ensemble of Renaissance and Baroque palaces along the so-called ‘new streets’ (Strade Nuove). The Palazzi dei Rolli offer an extraordinary variety of different solutions, achieving universal value in adapting to the particular characteristics of the site and to the requirements of a specific social and economic organization. They also offer an original example of a public network of private residences designated to host state visits.

The 44 Palaces

1. Antonio Doria
2. Clement Della Rovere
3. Giorgio Spinola
4. Tomaso Spinola
5. Giacomo Spinola
6. Augustine Ayrolo
7. Paolo e Nicolò Interiano
8. Agostino Pallavicini
9. Pantaleo Spinola
10. Franco Lercari
11. Tobia Pallavicini
12. Angelo Giovanni Spinola
13. Gio Battista Spinola
14. Nicolosio Lomellino
15. Lazzaro and Giacomo Spinola
16. Nicolò Grimaldi
17. Baldassarre Lomellini
18. Luca Grimaldi
19. Rodolfo and Francesco Brignole Sale
20. Gerolamo Grimaldi
21. Gio Carlo Brignole
22. Bartholomew Lomellini
23. Stefano Lomellini
24. Giacomo Lomellini and Cattaneo De Marini
25. Antoniotto Cattaneo
26. G. Agostino Balbi
27. Gio Francesco Balbi
28. Giocomo and Pantaleo Balbi
29. Francesco Balbi Piovera
30. Stefano Balbi
31. Cosma Centurione
32. Giorgio Centurione
33. Gio Battista Centurione
34. Cipriano Pallavicini
35. Nicolò Spinola
36. Francesco Grimaldi
37. Gio Battista Grimaldi
38. Stefano De Mari
39. Ambrose De Nigro
40. Emanuele Filiberto Di Negro
41. Croce De Marini

 Italy

Liguria Region, Genoa Province

N44 24 44 E8 55 52

Date of Inscription: 2006

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 16 ha 

Buffer zone: 113 ha

Ref: 1211

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.)

The Tempietto Longobardo. of  Cividale del Friuli (Province of Udine)

The Longobards in Italy, Places of Power, 568 - 774 A.D. comprises seven groups of important buildings (including fortresses, churches, and monasteries) throughout the Italian Peninsula. They testify to the high achievement of the Lombards, who migrated from northern Europe and developed their own specific culture in Italy where they ruled over vast territories in the 6th to 8th centuries. The Lombards synthesis of architectural styles marked the transition from Antiquity to the European Middle Ages, drawing on the heritage of Ancient Rome, Christian spirituality, Byzantine influence and Germanic northern Europe. The serial property testifies to the Lombards' major role in the spiritual and cultural development of Medieval European Christianity, notably by bolstering the monastic movement.

• Cividale del Friuli (Province of Udine)
• Brescia
• Castelseprio (Province of Varese)
• Spoleto (Province of Perugia)
• Campello sul Clitunno (Province of Perugia)
• Benevento
• Monte Sant'Angelo (Province of Foggia)

 Italy

N46 5 39 E13 25 59

Date of Inscription: 2011

Criteria: (ii)(iii)(vi)

Property : 14 ha 

Buffer zone: 306 ha

Ref: 1318

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia

Aquileia (in Friuli-Venezia Giulia), one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the Early Roman Empire, was destroyed by Attila in the mid-5th century. Most of it still lies unexcavated beneath the fields, and as such it constitutes the greatest archaeological reserve of its kind. The patriarchal basilica, an outstanding building with an exceptional mosaic pavement, played a key role in the evangelization of a large region of central Europe.

 Italy

Province of Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region

N45 46 6 E13 22 3

Date of Inscription: 1998

Criteria: (iii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 155 ha 

Ref: 825

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands)

Isole Eolie (Aeolian Islands)

The Aeolian Islands provide an outstanding record of volcanic island-building and destruction, and ongoing volcanic phenomena. Studied since at least the 18th century, the islands have provided the science of vulcanology with examples of two types of eruption (Vulcanian and Strombolian) and thus have featured prominently in the education of geologists for more than 200 years. The site continues to enrich the field of vulcanology.

 Italy

Mediterranean Sea - Southern Tyrrhenian Sea

N38 29 16.3 E14 56 44.1

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (viii)

Property : 1,216 ha 

Ref: 908

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Mount Etna

Mount Etna

Mount Etna is an iconic site encompassing 19,237 uninhabited hectares on the highest part of Mount Etna, on the eastern coast of Sicily. Mount Etna is the highest Mediterranean island mountain and the most active stratovolcano in the world. The eruptive history of the volcano can be traced back 500,000 years and at least 2,700 years of this activity has been documented. The almost continuous eruptive activity of Mount Etna continues to influence volcanology, geophysics and other Earth science disciplines. The volcano also supports important terrestrial ecosystems including endemic flora and fauna and its activity makes it a natural laboratory for the study of ecological and biological processes. The diverse and accessible range of volcanic features such as summit craters, cinder cones, lava flows and the Valle de Bove depression have made the site a prime destination for research and education.

Italy

N37 45 22 E14 59 48

Date of Inscription: 2013

Criteria: (viii)

Property : 19,237 ha

Buffer zone: 26,220 ha

Ref: 1427

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites

Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites

Assisi, a medieval city built on a hill, is the birthplace of Saint Francis, closely associated with the work of the Franciscan Order. Its medieval art masterpieces, such as the Basilica of San Francesco and paintings by Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Giotto, have made Assisi a fundamental reference point for the development of Italian and European art and architecture.

 

Italy

N43 3 58.2 E12 37 20.8

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 14,563 ha

Buffer zone: 4,087 ha

Ref: 990

 

Source: whc.unesco.org

City of Verona

City of Verona

The historic city of Verona was founded in the 1st century B.C. It particularly flourished under the rule of the Scaliger family in the 13th and 14th centuries and as part of the Republic of Venice from the 15th to 18th centuries. Verona has preserved a remarkable number of monuments from antiquity, the medieval and Renaissance periods, and represents an outstanding example of a military stronghold.

Italy

City and Province of Verona, Veneto Region

N45 26 19 E10 59 38

Date of Inscription: 2000

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 453 ha

Buffer zone: 325 ha

Ref: 797rev

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of Naples

Historic Centre of Naples

From the Neapolis founded by Greek settlers in 470 B.C. to the city of today, Naples has retained the imprint of the successive cultures that emerged in Europe and the Mediterranean basin. This makes it a unique site, with a wealth of outstanding monuments such as the Church of Santa Chiara and the Castel Nuovo.

Italy

City and Province of Naples, Campania

N40 51 5 E14 15 46

Date of Inscription: 1995

Minor modification inscribed year: 2011

Criteria: (ii)(iv)

Property : 1,021 ha

Buffer zone: 1,350 ha

Ref: 726bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Historic Centre of the City of Pienza

Historic Centre of the City of Pienza

It was in this Tuscan town that Renaissance town-planning concepts were first put into practice after Pope Pius II decided, in 1459, to transform the look of his birthplace. He chose the architect Bernardo Rossellino, who applied the principles of his mentor, Leon Battista Alberti. This new vision of urban space was realized in the superb square known as Piazza Pio II and the buildings around it: the Piccolomini Palace, the Borgia Palace and the cathedral with its pure Renaissance exterior and an interior in the late Gothic style of south German churches.

 Italy

Province of Siena, Tuscany

N43 4 37 E11 40 43

Date of Inscription: 1996

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)

Property : 4.41 ha 

Ref: 789

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Crespi d'Adda

Crespi d'Adda

Crespi d'Adda in Capriate San Gervasio in Lombardy is 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. The site is still remarkably intact and is partly used for industrial purposes, although changing economic and social conditions now threaten its survival.

 Italy

Province of Bergamo, Lombardy

N45 35 35.988 E9 32 17.988

Date of Inscription: 1995

Criteria: (iv)(v)

Ref: 730

Source: http://whc.unesco.org

Piazza del Duomo, Pisa

 Piazza del Duomo, Pisa

Standing in a large green expanse, Piazza del Duomo houses a group of monuments known the world over. These four masterpieces of medieval architecture – the cathedral, the baptistry, the campanile (the 'Leaning Tower') and the cemetery – had a great influence on monumental art in Italy from the 11th to the 14th century. 

Italy

City and Province of Pisa, Tuscany

N43 43 23 E10 23 47

Date of Inscription: 1987

Minor modification inscribed year: 2007

Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)(vi)

Property : 8.87 ha

Buffer zone: 254 ha

Ref: 395bis

Source: http://whc.unesco.org