It is difficult – if not impossible – to limit a list of things to do in Italy to 100, and even more difficult to put them in order of descending significance or entertainment value: home to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, with islands as diverse as dour Sicily and African-influenced Pantelleria and cultures as far apart as Renaissance Venice and the prehistoric Trulli in Alberobello, Italy is a vibrant and colorful hotch-potch, a land of stark and passionately defended contrasts.

Let’s continue the count…

56. Ostia Antica (Rome)

Ostia Antica is the name given to the ancient harbor of Rome, originally at the mouth of the river Tiber but owing to silting now 3 km inland, which may well have been the first Roman colony. An archaeological site covering 10.000 acres and surrounding a main road nearly 2 km long, it is famed for the excellent state of preservation of its buildings and walls, and for its magnificent and beautifully restored frescoes and mosaics. A museum, restaurant and toilet block are available, otherwise the site is relatively uncommercial.

Ostia Antica is easily accessible by train from Rome in just over an hour (exit Rovine di Ostia Antica); the ruins are a 5 minute walk signposted from the railway station.

57. I Sassi di Matera

A fascinating and unforgettable destination little known to foreign tourists is Matera, 66 km south of Bari in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Largely known for its extensive series of troglodyte cave-dwellings or “Sassi” which date from as early as 7.000 BC and are suspected to be the first human settlements in Italy, Matera boasts some very fine stone churches and frescoes, 3 nature reserves, a number of museums and a great many festivals. Curious visitors can dine or even lodge in a “sassi”, many of which have now been modernized for that purpose.

Matera is best reached by car (around 1 hour), bus or train (90 minutes) from Bari.

58. The Pantheon (Rome)

The best-preserved of Rome’s monuments and one of the most frequently visited (6 million visitors in 2013), this 2.000 year old Doric temple is still in use today as a church and has been since the 7th century. Commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and completed by Hadrian around 126 AD, it came to be viewed as such a classic example of Roman architecture that it has been copied all over the world.

The Pantheon can be reached in under 20 minutes by subway from Rome’s Termini railway station (exit: Piazza della Rotonda).

Source: https://www.jenreviews.com/