Three new UNESCO World Heritage sites have been announced in Italy, bringing the total number of sites in Italy to 43. The city of Mantova, pictured below, and the town of Sabbioneta, also in the Mantova province, were selected because of their outstanding Renaissance architecture.


© mstefano80

The final new inclusion is the Retica Railway which crosses the border to Switzerland through the Bernina Pass in the Alps.

Are you more likely to visit somewhere because it is a World Heritage Site? I find that in Italy there are so many beautiful cities, towns and villages that such an award can seem rather meaningless in terms of flagging up places worthy of visiting.