Southern Europe Archives | Page 2 of 3 | World Heritage Sites

Looking down a ruined church with intact walls but no ceiling. Walls in stripes of stone and brick, archways along both sides.

Butrint

A little-known archeological site in southern Albania with ruins from centuries of occupiers.

The exterior of Selimiye Mosque with two very tall minarets.

Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex

A mosque complex representing the height of Ottoman architectural achievement.

An oval stone-walled structure with a flat top.

Talayotic Menorca

Numerous archeological sites with dry-stone structures dating to the Bronze Age and Late Iron Age.

A spiral carving.

Megalithic Temples of Malta

Seven impressive stone structures used for ritual purposes during the Bronze Age.

A view of the tops of a group of palm trees.

Palmeral of Elche

An extraordinary palm grove dating to the Arab period in Spain.

Front of a church - 2 storeys, arches along the edge of the roof as well as above the entrances.

Archaeological Site of Mystras

Atmospheric ruins of a complete Late Byzantine city.

An entrahce with 3 arches, decorated in tile and brick. Symmetrical wings of the building one either side.

Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau

Two exceptional examples of Catalan Art Nouveau architecture in Barcelona designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner.

View across a hilly terrain with a castle in the distance. The hills are covered with the stripes of vineyards.

Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato

A region of northern Italy representing excellence in winegrowing and winemaking.

A ruin with walls intact and a very large interal arch, inside of which stand two almost complete pillars.

Villa Adriana (Tivoli)

A lavish retreat built for Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century.

View down a long narrow room with stone walls and a glass roof. The floor is covered in a mosaic with images of people and animals.

Villa Romana del Casale

The ruins of a Roman villa with remarkably well-preserved mosaics.

An attractive narrow city street, with buildings only 2-3 stories high; one of them looks like a gateway.

The Historic Centre of Guimarães

A charming medieval city center, considered the birthplace of Portuguese nationhood.

A view of the vineyards seems to go on forever: very flat land, with small areas divided by lots of stone walls, vines growing between them, close to the ground.

Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture

Viniculture in a hostile environment made possible through human ingenuity.

A stone church with a small open bell tower in its center with 4 bells visible.

Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of Asturias

Six buildings that are unique to the short-lived Asturian monarchy.

A drawing of a horse, black outlines and tinted red on the body.

Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain

Some of the earliest art by the earliest humans.

A jumble of buildings on the edge of a steep gorge.

Historic Walled Town of Cuenca

A medieval fortress town in a dramatic location, perched on cliffs.

View down a hill with mountains in the background. On the hill below some of the ruins are visible: the amphitheater and some columns and low walls.

Archaeological Site of Delphi

An important religious site for ancient Greeks, who considered it the center of the world.

On the left, the Leaning tower, with its rings of pillars on each level; next to that, the Cathedral.

Piazza del Duomo, Pisa

Four masterpieces of Pisan Romanesque architecture, including the world-famous Leaning Tower.

A pillared building with a shallow pool in front of it.

The Great Spa Towns of Europe

Towns in seven countries where an early tourism industry thrived around natural hot springs.

Semi-circular rings of stone benches slant down to the circular stage area at the bottom.

The Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus

Ruins of an ancient place of healing, with a huge and still intact Greek theater.

The church itself, with two towers, and elegant curved stairways up to its entrance on either side.

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga

An exquisite example of Portuguese Baroque architecture expressing a spiritual journey.

A ruined temple in stone, with tall pillars holding up a pediment, that is mostly broken off.

Acropolis, Athens

The most famous remnant of ancient Greece, standing high above the city of Athens.

Looking down a long rectangular courtyard with arches supported by double pillars all around it: They're ornately decorated in an Islamic style. The upper story is also lined with arches supported by single pillars.

Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville

Three properties that are central to the history of Spain’s “Golden Age.”

Seen across a broad flat area, a large palace, white and symmetrical.

Residences of the Royal House of Savoy

A series of palaces and estates in and around Turin that exemplify baroque architecture.

Looking at the building of Mafra from an angle: a very baroque design. Trees are flowering pink nearby.

Royal Building of Mafra

One of the most impressive baroque structures in all of Portugal.

The Library of Celsus seen from close by: columns frame 4 doorways on the ground floor and 3 on the upper floor. Each set of pillars holds a square pediment over the door.

Ephesus

An ancient port city with ruins from the Greek, Roman and early Christian periods.

A view down a street of pretty 2-story buildings.

Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica

A city with the traces of three thousand years of civilization.

A view of Matera from a hill above it.

The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera

More than 1000 cave dwellings, churches and other rock-cut structures going back centuries.

A view over the city of Angra do Heroismo in Terceira, Azores, with the sea beyond it.

Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroísmo

An important port in the busy shipping routes between Europe, the Americas and Africa from the 15th-19th centuries.

A long portico stretching ahead, the end point not visible. Just a couple of people walk on it in the distance.

The Porticoes of Bologna

An architectural element that, over centuries, has become an integral part of life in Bologna and around the world.

Trulli of Alberobello: A row of whitewashed houses with conical grey slate roofs.

The Trulli of Alberobello

Picturesque whitewashed houses with conical roofs, built using age-old dry-stone techniques.

An archway, with the arch standing on a pillar on each side.

The Caliphate City of Medina Azahara

Ruins of a 10th-century fortified Umayyad city.

A field with wildflowers with, in the background, a mountain that looks just like the face of a person lying on their back.

Antequera Dolmens Site

Megalithic tombs and the natural features that align with them.

Wild horses graze next to the water.

Doñana National Park

A protected natural wilderness area that is essential for birds migrating between Africa and Europe and for other species.

Archaeological Area of Agrigento

Archaeological Area of Agrigento

An exceptional collection of ancient Greek temples dating to the 5th century BC.

Gently rolling hills covered with rows of grapevines, very green, and a small village on one of the hills with a tall church spire.

Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene

A uniquely beautiful landscape of hills and valleys, with vineyards and wineries producing world-famous Prosecco wines.

The castle and its walls of stone, perched dramatically on a small peak, with a huge view in the distance.

San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano

The world’s oldest republic, a tiny surviving city-state on a mountain surrounded by Italy.