In Messina, the Orologio Astronomico is a must-see! It’s one of the world’s largest astronomical clocks. Every day at noon, it performs a show with gilded figures reenacting historical and religious scenes. You’ll see a roaring lion and biblical scenes like the resurrection of Jesus. The other facade features a perpetual calendar as well as a planetarium, showing the solar system.

Planning to visit Sicily? Then don't forget to add Monreale to your itinerary. Monreale is located just outside the city of Palermo and is best known for its cathedral with extraordinary mosaics …

The Duomo di Orvieto was, without a doubt, the highlight of my visit to the city. You can easily spot this landmark from afar, standing proudly on the isolated tufa plateau on which Orvieto is built …

Francesco died in 1226 and was canonized soon after. The very next day, Pope Gregory IX laid the first stone of the Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi to honor the newly canonized saint. Adorned with frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue, it became a major site for pilgrims and art lovers. In 2000, UNESCO even named it a World Heritage Site for its cultural significance.

Sometime during the corona lockdown, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. After a while, I came across a picture of a picturesque church built on the edge of a mountainside …