Italy's worldwide fame for arts and cultural visits has no equals in the world: from Roman and Greek ruins to medieval churches, from Renaissance palaces and paintings to Baroque masterpieces. If you're into things ancient, there's no better place in the world to go to.
The highlight of a cultural visit in Italy are certainly the main cities: Rome, Florence and Venice especially. Each of these cities require at least a week to be visited 'properly'. But Italy has so many important cities and towns that it would be easier to list those that are of little interest than the opposite.
Some of the best choices beside the aforementioned cities are: Naples, with magnificent Baroque churches and great Greek ruins, as well as the famous islands like Capri and Ischia; Palermo, with remains of both Arabic and Norman domination; Ferrara and Bologna, both having a medieval centre that is simply breathtaking; most towns in Tuscany, especially Siena, Pisa and Lucca, all with beautiful medieval architecture, both in private and public buildings; Mantova,also known as Mantua in many of Shakespeare's plays, which is a real jewel in Italy's crown, and Verona, well known for Romeo and Juliet and totally deserving that fame. Umbria is also a region which is well known for spiritual reasons (it was were Saint Francis came from), but it is also an area of wild, fascinating natural beauty, and towns of great historic and architectural interest. But this is just a start: the best way to discover Italy is to get there and start travelling...