Best places: Catholic churches in Italy

Landmark hillside Gothic church & site of Christian pilgrimage, decorated with noted medieval art.

One of the largest cathedrals in the world, this iconic masterpiece took over 600 years to complete.

Byzantine-style domes top this vast Catholic edifice, home to noted artworks & St Antony's relics.

Landmark papal basilica founded in the 5th century & known for its Roman mosaics & gilded ceiling.

13th-century structure famed for its facade & its marble stripes in symbolic black & white.

Vast, 16th-century domed church where St Francis founded his order, with a history & art museum.

Landmark Norman cathedral known for its ornate cloisters & bright gold mosaics of biblical stories.

Pilgrimage site for Eastern Europe Roman Catholics & Orthodox Christians, built 1087–1197.

Magnificent papal basilica dating from the 4th century, with tomb of St Paul & elegant cloisters.

17th-century Roman Catholic church with trompe l'oeil ceilings & frescoes depicting St Ignatius.

Picturesque, historic mountainside church, circa 1625, with a tranquil atmosphere.

Grand marble-striped cathedral known for its ornate Romanesque bronze doors & carved 1300s pulpit.

Monumental sanctuary dedicated to St. Francis in a verdant cliffside setting with sweeping views.

Landmark octagonal domed church known for its elaborate, richly colored Byzantine mosaics.

👍👍 Part of the oldest Benedictine monastic complex of the 8th century was built at the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 12th century. Worth mentioning is the cycle of frescoes from the first half of the 13th century. The extraordinary variety and quality of the frescoes have made this...

France's baroque national church in Rome, known for the Caravaggio paintings in its chapel.

Historic 16th-century church & former monastery with vivid biblical-themed artwork & frescoes.

👍👍 Very beautiful and peaceful. Has some tough stairs and low openings. And apparently does not allow drones

Romanesque church with an ornate marble porch & a lavishly gilded interior hung with tapestries.

Consecrated in 1584, this lavish church has a richly decorated interior by Giacomo della Porta.