Travel and Tourism in Italy

Rome — The Eternal City

No city in the Western world carries a heavier weight of history than Rome. For eight centuries Rome was the capital of an empire that stretched from Scotland to Mesopotamia, from the Sahara to the Rhine. It was in Rome that Julius Caesar was assassinated, that Augustus transformed the republic into an empire, that Constantine legalized Christianity, that Constantine's successors eventually lost the western empire to Gothic and Vandal invaders. After Rome's fall, the city became the seat of the Papacy, ensuring its continued centrality to European history throughout the medieval period and the Renaissance. Today, Rome is a city of nearly 2.9 million people, a functioning modern capital of a G7 nation, and simultaneously an open-air museum of almost incomprehensible richness. The Romans call their city la Città Eterna — the Eternal City — and the epithet is earned.

The Colosseum, or Colosseo, is the most iconic monument in Rome and arguably in the entire world. This enormous elliptical amphitheater, begun by Emperor Vespasian around 72 AD and completed under Titus in 80 AD, could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators and was the site of gladiatorial combats, animal hunts, mock sea battles, and public executions that lasted for centuries. Its engineering was revolutionary: a system of barrel-vaulted corridors and numbered entrances (vomitoria) allowed crowds of tens of thousands to enter, find their seats, and exit in minutes. Though partially dismantled for building materials in the medieval period — the marble seating, the bronze clamps, the travertine facings were all stripped over the centuries — the Colosseum remains extraordinarily impressive, its four-story exterior still largely intact on the northern side. Inside, visitors can explore the arena floor, the underground hypogeum where animals and gladiators were kept before their appearances, and the upper-tier galleries with views across the surrounding ancient monuments. The Colosseum is among the most visited monuments on Earth; advance booking is not merely recommended but practically essential, as queues without a ticket can stretch to three or four hours.

Adjacent to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum (Foro Romano) was the civic heart of ancient Rome for more than a thousand years. It is difficult today to reconcile the jumbled ruins of collapsed columns, triumphal arches, and weed-grown pavements with the magnificent complex it once was: a gleaming marble precinct containing the Senate house (Curia), the Temple of Saturn, the Temple of Vesta where the Vestal Virgins kept Rome's sacred flame burning, the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Rostra (speaking platforms) where Cicero delivered his orations and where Mark Antony spoke over Caesar's body, and the Arch of Septimius Severus. The Via Sacra, Rome's most important street, ran through the Forum and up to the Capitoline Hill. Walking the Forum today requires some effort of imagination, but the space rewards careful attention: the worn marble paving stones, the towering broken columns, the hollow eyes of the arches create an atmosphere of profound historical depth that no description can fully convey.

Palatine Hill (Colle Palatino), rising above the Forum, is traditionally identified as the site of Rome's founding and was later the location of the palatial residences of the emperors, from Augustus to Domitian and beyond. The word "palace" derives from Palatino. Today the hill is an archaeological park of extensive ruins, shaded gardens, and panoramic views over the Forum below. The remains of the Domus Augustana and the Domus Flavia give some sense of the scale and luxury of imperial life. The views from the hill's edge are among the finest in Rome.

The Pantheon is, by near-universal agreement, the best-preserved ancient building in the world and one of the most extraordinary architectural achievements of any civilization in any era. Built by Emperor Hadrian between 118 and 125 AD (though incorporating elements of an earlier structure built by Agrippa, whose name appears on the inscription above the porch), the Pantheon is essentially a perfectly proportioned circular chamber covered by a concrete dome 43.3 meters in diameter — a diameter that equals the building's height from floor to oculus. The oculus, the circular opening at the dome's apex, is 8.7 meters wide and remains open to the sky; rain enters and drains through holes in the marble floor. The dome was, for more than thirteen centuries, the largest in the world. Standing inside the Pantheon and looking up at the coffered concrete ceiling rising to that circle of open sky is one of the most powerful architectural experiences available to any traveler anywhere. The building has been in continuous use since its construction — it became a Christian church in 609 AD — and contains the tombs of Raphael and several Italian kings. Entry is now ticketed (a change made in 2023); visit early morning or late in the day for the best light and smallest crowds.

Piazza Navona, built on the site of the ancient Stadium of Domitian, is perhaps Rome's most theatrical public space: an elongated oval lined with Baroque churches and palaces, animated by three magnificent fountains. The centerpiece is Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651), in which four colossal marble figures represent the Nile, the Danube, the Ganges, and the Río de la Plata, supporting an Egyptian obelisk. Bernini's great rival, Borromini, designed the Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone on the western side of the piazza. The legend that Borromini designed one of the river figures to shield its eyes from the sight of Borromini's church is apocryphal but irresistible. The piazza is lined with restaurants and cafes; it is expensive, but the setting makes a coffee or aperitivo here a worthwhile extravagance.

The Trevi Fountain, completed in 1762, is Rome's largest and most famous fountain, fed by one of the ancient Roman aqueducts (the Aqua Virgo) that continues to bring water into the city. The central figure of Neptune rides a chariot pulled by seahorses, surrounded by Tritons, against a backdrop of the Palazzo Poli. The tradition of throwing a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand to ensure a return to Rome is ubiquitous. The fountain draws enormous crowds at all hours; the best strategy is to arrive very early in the morning, when the piazza is quiet and the light is good, or very late at night, when the illuminated fountain glows in the darkness.

The Spanish Steps, a monumental staircase of 135 steps built between 1723 and 1726 leading from the Piazza di Spagna up to the Trinità dei Monti church, take their name from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, which is located in the adjacent Palazzo di Spagna. At the foot of the steps, the elegant Barcaccia fountain by Pietro Bernini (father of the more famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini) takes the form of a half-sunk boat. The steps are Rome's great social gathering place, traditionally lined with flowers in spring and animated by tourists at all hours. The surrounding streets — Via Condotti, Via Borgognona, Via Frattina — form Rome's most exclusive shopping district, home to Gucci, Prada, Bulgari, and every other major Italian and international luxury brand.

The Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese) is, in the opinion of many art historians and knowledgeable travelers, the single most concentrated collection of masterpieces in Rome — perhaps in Italy. Housed in the Villa Borghese, built in the early seventeenth century for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, the gallery contains an extraordinary group of sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini alongside major paintings by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Rubens, and many others. Bernini's sculptures alone would justify the visit: Apollo and Daphne (1622-1625) shows the nymph in the instant of her transformation into a laurel tree, her fingers sprouting leaves, her feet taking root, the marble capturing movement and metamorphosis with a virtuosity that beggars belief; the Rape of Proserpina (1621-1622) shows Pluto's fingers sinking into Proserpina's marble thigh with an illusion of soft flesh that is literally incredible; David (1623-1624) depicts the youth in the moment of releasing his sling. Caravaggio is represented by six major works, including Boy with a Basket of Fruit and David with the Head of Goliath. The gallery is ticketed and strictly limited to 360 visitors per two-hour time slot; advance booking is absolutely mandatory, sometimes months in advance for peak season visits.

Castel Sant'Angelo, overlooking the Tiber River, began its existence as the mausoleum of Emperor Hadrian (completed 139 AD) and evolved over the centuries into a fortress, a papal palace, a prison, and finally a museum. The circular drum structure still dominates the river and is connected to the Vatican by the Passetto di Borgo, a fortified corridor used by popes to escape to the castle in times of danger — most famously by Clement VII during the Sack of Rome in 1527. The castle's upper terraces offer magnificent panoramic views over Rome, including the dome of St. Peter's and the bend of the Tiber. Inside, the chambers contain papal apartments decorated with Renaissance frescoes, a collection of weaponry and armor, and glimpses of the original Roman structure beneath the medieval and Renaissance additions.

Trastevere, the neighborhood on the western bank of the Tiber immediately south of the Vatican, is one of Rome's most atmospheric districts: a medieval warren of cobblestone lanes, ivy-covered buildings, small squares, and neighborhood restaurants. The name means "across the Tiber" (trans Tiberim), and the district has historically been home to working-class Romans, Jewish communities, and immigrants from across the Mediterranean. Gentrification has arrived — boutique hotels, wine bars, and tourist restaurants now share the streets with laundry hanging between buildings and elderly residents who have lived here all their lives — but Trastevere retains more character and neighborhood vitality than almost anywhere else in central Rome. The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere is one of Rome's oldest churches, its golden Byzantine mosaics glowing in the apse, its twelfth-century campanile rising above the surrounding medieval roofscape.

Campo de' Fiori, a lively market square in the heart of historic Rome, is named for the meadow (campo di fiori) that occupied the site in the medieval period. Today it hosts a daily market of fruit, vegetables, flowers, and tourist goods and transforms into one of Rome's most animated outdoor drinking scenes after dark. The brooding bronze statue at the center is of Giordano Bruno, the philosopher who was burned at the stake in this very square in 1600 for his heretical views — including his advocacy of heliocentrism and his belief in infinite worlds. Campo de' Fiori is more popular with tourists and expats than with Romans themselves, but it retains energy and character.

Italy's UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Italy holds approximately 61 UNESCO World Heritage Sites — more than any other country in the world. This extraordinary tally reflects the country's unparalleled density of cultural, historical, and natural significance across every period of human civilization, from the prehistoric era to the twentieth century. The following is a comprehensive list of all inscribed sites with the year of their inscription.

Rock Drawings in Valcamonica (1979): The Camonica Valley in Lombardy contains the largest known collection of prehistoric petroglyphs in the world — over 140,000 rock carvings made over a period of approximately 10,000 years from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age. The engravings depict animals, people, maps, weapons, symbols, and ceremonial scenes.

Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, Milan (1980): The refectory wall painting by Leonardo da Vinci (1495-1498), arguably the most studied and analyzed painting in history, inscribed for its extraordinary artistic and historical significance.

Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura (1980): The entire historic center of Rome, along with the Vatican extraterritorial properties and the Basilica of San Paolo Outside the Walls, inscribed as an ensemble of monuments of incomparable historical importance.

Historic Centre of Florence (1982): The entire historic center of Florence, recognized as the birthplace of the Renaissance and one of the densest concentrations of masterpieces of art and architecture in the world.

Venice and its Lagoon (1987): The entire lagoon city and its surrounding aquatic environment, inscribed for its unique urban form, its extraordinary artistic heritage, and the fragile ecological balance of the lagoon.

Piazza del Duomo, Pisa (1987): The ensemble of the Cathedral, Baptistery, Leaning Tower, and Monumental Cemetery, recognized as masterpieces of Romanesque architecture.

Historic Centre of San Gimignano (1990): The medieval hilltop town with its remarkable collection of surviving tower-houses, inscribed as the best-preserved example of a medieval Tuscan town.

I Sassi di Matera and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches (1993): The ancient cave city of Matera in Basilicata, inhabited continuously since the Paleolithic period, recognized as one of the most extraordinary examples of troglodyte architecture in the Mediterranean world.

City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto (1994, extended 1996): The buildings of Andrea Palladio in Vicenza and the surrounding countryside, recognized as the most coherent and complete expression of a single Renaissance architect's work.

Historic Centre of Siena (1995): The medieval city of Siena with its remarkable Piazza del Campo, Cathedral, and historic buildings, recognized as one of the finest examples of medieval Gothic urban planning.

Historic Centre of Naples (1995): The historic center of Naples, recognized as the most complete example of a stratified Mediterranean city, preserving Greek, Roman, Byzantine, medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque layers.

Crespi d'Adda (1995): A complete company town built by the textile manufacturer Cristoforo Benigno Crespi in Lombardy in the 1870s and 1890s, a remarkably well-preserved example of nineteenth-century industrial paternalism and urban planning.

Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta (1995, extended 1999): The Renaissance city planned by Ercole I d'Este, recognized as the first modern city in Europe, and the adjacent Po Delta landscape.

Castel del Monte (1996): The mysterious octagonal castle built by Emperor Frederick II in Puglia around 1240-1250, whose mathematical precision and blend of Islamic, Byzantine, and Gothic architectural influences make it one of the most remarkable buildings of the medieval period.

The Trulli of Alberobello (1996): The characteristic conical dry-stone dwellings of the Valle d'Itria, unique to this corner of Puglia, recognized as an outstanding example of a vernacular architectural tradition.

Early Christian Monuments and Mosaics of Ravenna (1996): The eight early Christian and Byzantine monuments of Ravenna (including the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Baptistery of Neon, Archbishop's Chapel, Baptistery of the Arians, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Basilica of San Vitale, Mausoleum of Theodoric, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe) with their extraordinary mosaic cycles.

Historic Centre of the City of Pienza (1996): The model Renaissance town created by Pope Pius II, recognized as the first example of planned urban design in Western history.

The Royal Palace of Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex (1997): The immense Bourbon royal palace and its gardens, considered one of the finest examples of eighteenth-century European palace architecture.

Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico) of Padua (1997): Founded in 1545, the oldest botanical garden in the world still in its original location, a key site in the history of science.

Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena (1997): The Romanesque cathedral of Modena with its sculptural decorations and the Ghirlandina tower, recognized as a masterpiece of early medieval art.

Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata (1997): The best-preserved Roman cities in the world, buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and recognized as providing an unparalleled window into Roman daily life.

Amalfi Coast (1997): The 50-kilometer coastal landscape of sheer cliffs, terraced vineyards, and historic towns, recognized as an outstanding example of a Mediterranean cultural landscape.

Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia (1998): The ancient Roman and early Christian city of Aquileia in Friuli, one of the largest and wealthiest cities of the early Roman Empire, with the most extensive intact floor mosaic of the Christian world (from the patriarchal basilica of the fourth century).

Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archaeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula (1998): The extraordinary natural landscape and cultural heritage of southern Campania, including the Greek temples of Paestum, the ancient city of Velia, and the great Carthusian monastery of Padula.

Villa Adriana (Tivoli) (1999): The enormous villa complex built by Emperor Hadrian near Tivoli as his private retreat, incorporating architectural quotations from the most important buildings he had visited throughout the empire.

Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites (2000): The entire historic city of Assisi together with the great double basilica of San Francesco, recognized as a site of exceptional universal value for Franciscan history and medieval art.

City of Verona (2000): The historic center of Verona with its extraordinary ensemble of Roman, medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque monuments, including the Arena, the Roman Theater, the medieval walls, and the Scaliger family monuments.

Aeolian Islands (2000): The volcanic archipelago north of Sicily, including Stromboli (with its near-continuous eruptions visible at night), Vulcano, and Lipari, recognized as providing an outstanding record of volcanic island building and ongoing volcanic phenomena.

Villa d'Este, Tivoli (2001): The Renaissance villa and its elaborate garden of fountains, built for Cardinal Ippolito II d'Este in the sixteenth century, recognized as the most complete and influential example of Renaissance garden design.

Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) (2002): Eight towns of southeastern Sicily (Noto, Modica, Ragusa, Scicli, Caltagirone, Militello in Val di Catania, Catania, and Palazzolo Acreide) rebuilt in the uniform Baroque style after the earthquake of 1693.

Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy (2003): Nine pilgrimage routes in the foothills of the Alps, each featuring a series of chapels decorated with frescoes and life-sized sculptural groups depicting scenes from Christian scripture, built from the late sixteenth to the eighteenth century.

Val d'Orcia (2004): The idealized Renaissance agricultural landscape of the Val d'Orcia south of Siena, recognized as an outstanding example of how the natural landscape was redesigned in the Renaissance period to reflect ideals of good governance.

Cerveteri and Tarquinia Etruscan Necropolises (2004): The two most important Etruscan cemeteries, providing an extraordinary record of the Etruscan civilization through thousands of burial mounds and painted tombs.

Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica (2005): The ancient Greek city of Syracuse on the island of Ortigia, with its remarkable overlap of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Norman layers, and the prehistoric necropolis of Pantalica in the interior.

Genoa: Le Strade Nuove and the System of the Palazzi dei Rolli (2006): The sixteenth and seventeenth-century palaces of Genoa's aristocratic families on the Strade Nuove, the first examples in Europe of an integrated system of residential buildings commissioned as a unified expression of the power and wealth of an oligarchic republic.

Mantua and Sabbioneta (2008): Two Renaissance cities in Lombardy: Mantua, the cultural capital of the Gonzaga family with its Palazzo Ducale and Palazzo Te, and Sabbioneta, built from scratch by Vespasiano Gonzaga as an ideal city in the late sixteenth century.

Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes (2008): A transboundary property shared with Switzerland, recognizing the Rhaetian Railway's extraordinary engineering achievement in crossing the Alpine landscape of the Bernina Pass.

The Dolomites (2009): The extraordinary natural landscape of the Dolomites in northeastern Italy, recognized as one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the world for its geological history, biodiversity, and scenic beauty.

Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps (2011): A transboundary property shared with Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, and Slovenia, recognizing the remnants of prehistoric pile-dwelling (stilt house) settlements around the Alps.

Longobard Places: Power and Worship (568-774 AD) (2011): Seven groups of important Lombard (Longobard) monuments in six Italian regions (Cividale del Friuli, Brescia, Castelseprio-Torba, Spoleto, Campello sul Clitunno, Benevento, and Monte Sant'Angelo in Puglia), representing the cultural and architectural heritage of the Lombards who ruled most of Italy from 568 to 774 AD.

Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde (2010): While this is primarily a Portuguese/Spanish site, Italy's Valcamonica remains its own separate designation.

Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany (2013): Twelve Medici villas and two gardens built or commissioned by the Medici family between the fifteenth and seventeenth century, representing the most complete and coherent expression of Medici patronage in the Tuscan landscape.

Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Monferrato-Astigiano (2014): The extraordinary cultural landscape of the Piedmont wine regions, including the areas producing Barolo, Barbaresco, Asti Spumante, and Moscato d'Asti, recognized as an outstanding example of a living cultural landscape shaped by centuries of viticulture.

Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale (2015): The nine monuments of Arab-Norman architecture in Sicily — including the Palatine Chapel, the Cathedral of Cefalù, and the Cathedral of Monreale — representing the unique cultural synthesis of Arab, Byzantine, and Norman traditions under the Norman kings of Sicily in the twelfth century.

Works of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement (2016): A transboundary property of 17 buildings across seven countries, including the Villa Savoye in France and the unité d'habitation in several cities. Italy's contribution is the Cabanon in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (France, across the border) — note: the Italian share is represented through the Unité d'Habitation typology but the actual Italian site is sometimes listed as lacking a specific Italian structure in some sources.

Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century (2018): The industrial city built by the Olivetti company in northwestern Piedmont, recognized as the most complete example of the realization of the "social utopia" promoted by Adriano Olivetti, who envisioned an integrated urban environment combining industry, housing, cultural and social facilities.

Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene (2019): The hillside landscape of the Prosecco wine production zone in the Veneto, recognized as an outstanding example of a vine-growing landscape shaped over centuries to produce one of Italy's most celebrated wines.

Padua's fourteenth-century fresco cycles (2021): The extraordinary series of fourteenth-century fresco cycles in eight buildings in Padua (including the Scrovegni Chapel by Giotto, the Baptistery, and the Eremitani Church), recognized collectively as representing a critical moment in the history of Western pictorial art.

The porticoes of Bologna (2021): The extensive system of covered walkways in Bologna, representing an outstanding example of how an urban architectural element developed over nine centuries to become an integral part of the city's social and cultural identity.

Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar (2017): A serial property of defensive works constructed by the Venetian Republic across modern-day Italy, Croatia, and Montenegro. In Italy, the inscribed components include the fortifications of Bergamo, Palmanova, and Peschiera del Garda. These structures represent the transition from medieval walled cities to the early modern star-fort system of military architecture specifically designed to withstand artillery bombardment, and together document the engineering ingenuity and strategic vision of the Venetian Republic at the height of its power.

Evaporitic Karst and Caves of Northern Apennines (2023): A natural World Heritage Site in Emilia-Romagna featuring extraordinary underground landscapes formed by the dissolution of evaporite rocks — primarily gypsum and anhydrite — over geological time. The site encompasses dramatic surface karst formations, extensive cave systems, and subterranean environments of exceptional scientific and aesthetic significance, representing one of the finest examples of evaporite karst geology in Europe.

Via Appia. Regina Viarum (2024): The Appian Way, known as the "Queen of Roads" (Regina Viarum), is one of the earliest and strategically most important roads built in ancient Rome, stretching from Rome south to Brindisi on the Adriatic coast. Constructed beginning in 312 BC, the road served as the primary artery for Roman military and commercial expansion into southern Italy and the Eastern Mediterranean. The UNESCO inscription covers 73 monuments and archaeological features distributed along its route, documenting Roman engineering, funerary culture, and the integration of the Italian peninsula under Roman authority.

Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia – The domus de janas (2025): A serial property of prehistoric rock-cut tombs distributed across Sardinia, known in Sardinian as domus de janas ("fairy houses"). Carved into natural rock outcrops and cliff faces by Neolithic and Chalcolithic communities between approximately 4000 and 2000 BCE, the tombs represent one of the most extraordinary expressions of prehistoric funerary culture in the Mediterranean world. The chambers, often elaborately carved with architectural features, symbolic reliefs, and painted decoration, provide exceptional evidence for the beliefs, social organization, and artistic capabilities of Sardinia's prehistoric inhabitants.

Outdoor Activities and Sports

Italy offers an extraordinary range of outdoor activities, from skiing in the Dolomites to sailing the Amalfi Coast, cycling through Tuscany, hiking the Cinque Terre, and climbing on the Via Ferrata routes of the Alps and Dolomites.

Festivals and Events

Italy's calendar of festivals, sagre (food festivals), historical pageants, and cultural events is extraordinarily rich. Every region, every city, every small town has its own calendar of events that celebrate local history, local food products, local saints' days, and local traditions.

VENICE CARNIVAL (Carnevale di Venezia)

The Venice Carnival is one of the most famous festivals in Europe: a two-week celebration of excess and fantasy in the period before Lent, during which Venice fills with visitors wearing elaborate historical costumes and masks (maschere). The tradition of the Venetian carnival dates back to the Middle Ages, when the mask allowed the wearer — whether noble or commoner — to participate in public life anonymously, temporarily erasing the rigid social hierarchies of the Venetian Republic. The carnival was suppressed by Napoleon in 1797 and not revived in its modern form until 1979. Today it runs for approximately two weeks ending on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso) and features a program of concerts, balls, costume competitions, and the famous Flight of the Angel (Volo dell'Angelo) from the Campanile to the Piazza San Marco. It is an extraordinary spectacle — and also an extremely crowded and expensive time to visit Venice.

Verona Opera Festival

The Verona Arena Opera Festival (Opera Festival di Verona), held in the first-century Roman amphitheater every summer (June-September), is one of the world's great outdoor opera experiences. The Arena seats 22,000 people and the productions — particularly of large-scale Verdi operas like Aida (which is virtually synonymous with the Arena) — are spectacular, with elaborate stage sets, large orchestras and choruses, and the magical atmosphere of an ancient Roman monument under the stars.