Everyone finds in places what they are looking for. We look at them through the lenses of enthusiasm, curiosity, and affection. For this reason, declaring that one place is more special or more important than another is difficult, if not impossible.
There is, however, a list that brings together some of the most significant places in the world: sites that humanity has chosen to recognize as a shared heritage, deserving of protection and preservation.
UNESCO protects cultural and natural sites that hold exceptional value for history, art, landscape, and the identity of peoples. Some are famous monuments, others historic centres, and still others entire landscapes shaped over centuries by the interaction between nature and human activity. They are artistic, cultural, natural and scenic treasures, and many of them are found along the routes of our walking holidays.
Visiting them is always special. Reaching them or crossing them on foot is perhaps even more so.
Walking allows us to experience a slow and profound journey through beauty. What we initially perceive as universal becomes something personal: we stop more often, observe more carefully, allow ourselves to be surprised, and find our own way of connecting with what lies before us.
Above all, a walking journey allows us to discover not only the UNESCO-recognised site itself, but everything that surrounds it: the landscapes that host it, the people who inhabit it, and the stories that have shaped its character and contributed to making it what it is today.
We have selected four itineraries that lead to or pass through some of the most fascinating UNESCO sites in Europe and Italy. From Europe's most famous pilgrimage route to the green heart of Italy, from the mountains of Piedmont to the most authentic side of Sicily, these are some of our favourite journeys through places that, in a sense, belong to all of us.
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An iconic route, walked by thousands of travellers and dreamed of by many more.
Walking the Camino de Santiago means embarking on a journey that is often deeply personal, but above all it means crossing an extraordinary variety of landscapes: countryside, villages, monasteries and historic cities along a route that, for more than a thousand years, has connected people from all over Europe.
Both the historic centre of Santiago de Compostela and the pilgrimage routes leading to it are recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a testament to the immense historical, cultural and spiritual importance of this centuries-old pilgrimage.
Arriving at the Cathedral is certainly one of the most emotional moments of the journey, but the true heritage discovered along the way is made up of encounters, traditions, communities and stories revealed step by step, stage after stage.
Who is it ideal for? Anyone dreaming of a great classic and wishing to experience one of the most meaningful walking routes in the world.
There are places where art, spirituality and landscape seem to merge into something unique. Assisi is one of them.
Reaching it on foot along the Way of St Francis means gradually approaching a town that has welcomed pilgrims, travellers and seekers of inspiration for centuries. The route crosses forests, rolling hills, small villages and places deeply connected to the life of the saint, following a path that naturally invites you to slow down and observe.
Assisi and its Franciscan sites are recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their extraordinary artistic and cultural value. The Basilica of St Francis contains some of the most important fresco cycles in Italian art history and is an unmissable stop for anyone who loves beauty.
Yet, as often happens on long-distance walks, the true privilege is arriving there slowly. After days spent crossing the Umbrian countryside, the town appears almost as the natural conclusion of the journey, and its beauty feels even more powerful.
Who is it ideal for? Travellers seeking a journey that combines nature, art and spirituality.
Some places manage to be both a monument and a landscape at the same time.
The Sanctuary of Oropa, nestled among the mountains of Piedmont, is one of them. The journey leading to this remarkable site, one of Europe's largest Marian sanctuaries, is a beautiful route through valleys, forests and small Alpine villages, gradually approaching one of Italy's most important pilgrimage destinations. It is a rewarding challenge suitable for almost everyone and captivating even for experienced walkers, just one hour from Milan.
Oropa forms part of the Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the extraordinary integration of architecture, art and natural surroundings. Here, chapels, devotional paths and landscape exist in constant dialogue, creating a place that still retains its spiritual and cultural role today.
The walk allows you to approach this place of remarkable energy little by little, letting the landscape itself tell its story. It is a journey of nature, silence and ever-changing views, but also one filled with artistic and cultural heritage reflecting centuries of devotion and mountain life, with nights spent in abbeys surrounded by the glacial amphitheatre of Ivrea.
Who is it ideal for? Those who enjoy accessible walks, Alpine scenery and places rich in history.
Many travellers know Sicily through its coastline, its sea and its most famous cities. The Magna Via Francigena reveals a different side of the island.
The route crosses inland Sicily, connecting Palermo and Agrigento through rolling hills, small villages and landscapes that still preserve a strong and distinctive identity. It is a Sicily defined by genuine hospitality, deep-rooted traditions and places that rarely feature on mainstream itineraries.
The final destination is one of the Mediterranean's most extraordinary archaeological sites: the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the exceptional preservation of its Greek temples and the historical significance they represent.
After days spent travelling through a land shaped by encounters between cultures, civilisations and rulers, the temples emerge on the horizon as the natural culmination of the journey.
Yet the real surprise of the Magna Via Francigena may be something else entirely: discovering that heritage is not confined to great monuments, but also lives within the villages, the people encountered along the route and the stories that make this part of Sicily so special.
Who is it ideal for? Travellers who love history, archaeology and journeys that offer a deeper understanding of a region.
UNESCO sites are places that humanity has chosen to protect because they represent something unique and precious.
Yet often what makes them truly special is not only the monument, the landscape or the UNESCO-recognised city itself. It is also the people who live there, the traditions that keep them alive and the territories that surround them.
Walking allows us to discover all of this.
It teaches us to slow down, to observe more carefully and to build a deeper relationship with the places we cross. It helps us understand not only what we are looking at, but also why that place became important enough to be considered a shared heritage of humanity.
Perhaps that is the most beautiful way to experience a UNESCO site: by giving it the time it deserves.
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