John Booth

The highlight of this WHS is the brightly coloured expanse of frescoes inside the church. But almost as interesting was a visit to nearby Mustair village, located deep in the …

My journey from Milan to Chur took place on a perfect clear day. Starting out early from Milan Centrale the train skirted the east shore of Lake Como and then …

Although the factories fell silent in 2003, the residential areas are still occupied and well maintained. The church, school and theatre are periodically open to visitors. But the Villa Padronale, …

Of the eight sites that I visited, there were few similarities. Most had artistic and colourful dioramas depicting scenes on different Biblical themes.

Belmonte - I reached by train from …

I travelled by train from Brescia to Capo di Ponte, and from the station climbed up to the park of Naquane as has been described below. Afterwards I returned to …

I do not understand why these two towns are linked in one site; there do not appear to have any physical connection. Mantova is reached by train from Verona and …

Being a fan of Palladio's architecture I spent several days visiting the listed sites. One day was spent in Vicenza alone visiting the plethora of his buildings along Corso Palladi …

Visiting the five coastal villages was very easy using the frequent train services. Too easy, for although the villages were colourful and picturesque, they were also overcrowded with tourists and …

In Turin I was unprepared for the magnitude of the Piazza Castello, with musicians, buskers and a brass band providing entertainment. Around this expanse of paving were most of the …

I found the core of the city's heritage sites to be in the Piazza del Erbe and the adjacent Piazza dells Signora. Here there were decorated builings in assorted styles, …

Only a few metres down via Balbi from the Piazza Principe station is the huge Palazzo Reale. Passing through the entrance I came to a spacious courtyard with an arched …

The WHS site includes several buildings from different periods. The Castello Estense and the Palazzo Municipale are from the medieval period, while the Palazzi Diamante, Guido d'Este and Turchi-di Bagno …

The excavation of the foundations of the Roman town are still a work in progress, but the forum with its marble columns is the most obvious remnant. Of greater importance …

Having seen the streets, piazzas and canals of Venice on previous visits, this time I decided to visit the Lagoon. Armed with a 12 hour ticket I took a Vaporetto …

The haphazardly placed tower houses seemed to me to be an earthquake hazard. Maybe that is why there are no longer 72 standing. The walls and bastions seemed more structurally …

A large area of rural Tuscany, the Val d'Orcia boasts endless vinyards and olive groves spread over an undulating landscape.

A comfortable way of seeing this area is to take …

This is the town of steep streets, one of the steepest being via Raffaello, named for the artist who was born in a house on its slopes. At the top …

This is truely a city of stunning mosaics, and all but one of the 8 sites listed in this WHS is decorated with the most colourful of mosaic art. By …

The monumental buildings surrounding the Piazza Pius II were certainly impressive, the white masonry of the duomo contrasting with the brown stone of the Piccolomini and Amouidi Palaces. But I …

Over several days I managed to visit all 8 of the Baroque towns included in this WHS. All were accessible by train except Pallazolo Acredie which I reached by bus …