UNESCO names three new World Heritage Sites in Italy

Mantova (Mantua) and Sabbioneta (province of Mantova), together with the Retica Railway (shared with Switzerland), are the new Italian World Heritage Sites chosen by the UNESCO commission in Quebec City on 8 July 08, bringing the total number for our country to a staggering 43 sites.

The 32nd Committee has chosen 27 new sites, according to criteria of cultural relevance or natural beauty and importance, amongst them the little independent republic of San Marino in the Italian peninsula and its Monte Titano.

Mantova and Sabbioneta rightly take their place amongst the World Heritage Sites as “extraordinary examples of Renaissance architecture and city planning”: the former the capital of the Gonzaga family who ruled for almost 400 years and employed in their court the most important artists of their time and relentlessly collected works of art, the latter the embodiment for Duke Vespasiano Gonzaga of an Italian “ideal city” and nicknamed “Little Athens”.

The Retica Railway that crosses the Alps between Italy and Switzerland through the Bernina Pass is one of the most scenic railways in Europe, running over railway viaducts of breathtaking height.

For more information, visit italiantouristboard.co.uk.