Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. High art and monuments are to be found everywhere around the country. Its great cities of art, like Rome, Venice and Florence are world famous and have been attracting visitors for centuries. Besides its art treasures Italy also features beautiful coasts, alpine lakes and mountains. No wonder it is often nicknamed the Bel Paese (beautiful country).

With so many amazing sights, putting together a top 10 list of tourist attractions in Italy is no easy task.

The following list however should give a good indication of why over 60 million foreign tourists visit Italy ever year.
You'll almost be able to smell the linguini and taste the vino rosso

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in Tuscany. It’s famous for its medieval architecture, especially its high towers. Of the 72 that once existed, 13 remain today. San Gimignano is a popular destination for day trippers from Florence, but spend the night here and the city quiets down and takes you back in time.

Located along the Arno River in the northwestern region of Tuscany, the city of Pisa still bears the striking remnants of its former golden days as a commercial empire during the Middle Ages. While Pisa is best known for its famous Leaning Tower, there a lot more attractions in this city worth a visit.

Siena

Sometimes overshadowed by the popularity of world famous cities like Rome and Venice, Genoa nevertheless is one of Italy’s true hidden gems. Genoa is a classic Italian city incorporated amid rolling hills with houses of pastel colors and terra cotta roofs all mixed in with stunning churches, hanging gardens, Baroque palaces and crumbling Roman ruins. The city’s shining crown is its historic center, which features narrow, winding streets that reveal surprising gems at every turn.

One of the busiest metropolitan cities in the country, Naples is the capital of the Campania region in Southern Italy. The city of Naples offers a treasure trove of art works and historic sites as well as a vibrant atmosphere of shops, restaurants and nightlife venues. Many favorite Italian foods originated from here such as pizza, spaghetti and parmigiana. These dishes are taken seriously in Naples and usually feature fresh, locally grown ingredients.

Situated in Italy’s southwestern region of Campania, the Amalfi Coast is known for its extraordinary beauty that makes it one of Italy’s top tourist destinations. Stretching 30 miles along the southern side of the Sorrento Peninsula, the Amalfi Coast is prized for its picturesque coastline that features shimmering bays, craggy cliffs, lemon tree gardens, multicolored villas and ritzy resorts.

Nearly destroyed from heavy bombing during WWII, Milan has since reconstructed and now shines as one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. Widely regarded as a mega fashion center teeming in designer shops, Milan also attracts many to its surviving world famous treasures like Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper, the La Scala Opera House, the Castello Sforzesco and one of the world’s largest Gothic cathedral.

Lake Como

Part of the Italian Lake District an area popular with visitors for well over 100 years for its combination of fresh air, water, mountains and good weather. The lake is shaped much like an inverted ‘Y’, with two branches starting at Como in the south-west and Lecco in the south-east, which join together half way up and the lake continues up to Colico in the north. The lake is famous for the attractive villas which have been built here since Roman times. Many have admirable gardens which benefit from the mild climate and are able to include tropical as well as temperate plants.

Pompei