Top 5 - Cities you didn't know you should visit

One of the most famous towns in Italy is Assisi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and, above all, homeland of St. Francis, the man who renounced all his possessions in order to devote his life to helping the needy. Dedicated to him is the splendid Basilica, one of the emblems of Christianity, located on Mount Subasio, from which it overlooks the entire valley, is dedicated to him. Apart from being a strong appeal for millions of religious believers, the Basilica is a monument of great artistic value.

Its history, highly-defined by the d’Este dynasty in its period of greatest splendor, bequeathed to Ferrara a strong political and administrative cohesion. Today its natural heritage, particularly the Po Delta and the Delizie - the elaborate residences of the House of Este - as well as its historic center, with its Medieval and Renaissance urban system, make Ferrara a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Parma's historic center develops around what can be considered its religious centerpiece, costituted by the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Bishop's Palace. The Cathedral on Piazza del Duomo is one of the most important expressions of the Po Valley Romanesque style, albeit having undergone various interventions in time. It boasts a bell tower dating back to the 13th Century, while tucked inside are famous masterpieces, including the dome, frescoed by Correggio.

Siena, city of art, city of culture, city of the Palio, university city and city of excellent cuisine – no doubt that this gorgeous town is a multi-faceted one. Nestled within the Tuscan hills, Siena has long maintained its lovely and unique appearance, as it does today: as the truest of cliches go, Siena is one of those places where it seems time stopped in the 13th Century, the period when it began to develop its immense artistic and architecturallegacy. Such a legacy is what lends to Siena all its beauty and glory.

In the sun-drenched Sienese hills of the Val d’Elsa stands the gorgeous hilltown of San Gimignano, a splendorous Medieval atmosphere enwrapped by its 13th-Century wall. “A masterpiece of creative human genius, it is unique testimony to a past civilization, and as an exceptional exemplar of both architectonic complex and landscape, demonstrates signifcant passages in human history.” It is for such qualities that San Gimignano earned its place on the UNESCO Word Heritage List in 1990.