Piazza dei Miracoli

Officially Piazza del Duomo, the square owes its nickname, the Square of Miracles, to the writer Gabriele D'Annunzio. Inside the medieval walls at the city's north-west corner, four buildings rise from the grass in a line: the round Baptistery, the Cathedral, the Leaning Tower and, along the north edge, the long Camposanto. UNESCO listed the ensemble in 1987 for its masterpieces of medieval architecture, which shaped Italian monumental art from the 11th to the 14th century.

The square itself is free to walk; tickets are needed only to go inside. Two museums complete the set: the Sinopie Museum on the south side, in a medieval hospital, and the Opera del Duomo Museum on the south-east corner. Come early or late in the day to see the marble without the crowds, and to take the classic photo of yourself propping up the Tower.