Viewpoint in Italy

The ruined castle above the village of Castelmola, higher again than Taormina, with a view down over the theatre, the coast and Etna in one turn. A steep walk up from town or a short bus. The village itself is tiny and worth the almond wine.

The wooded hill east of the river, with the basilica on top and the whole Alpine arc behind the city on a clear day. A rack tramway climbs it. Best in winter and early spring, when the mountains are white and the haze that hides them in summer has gone.

The island's summit, reached by a single-seat chairlift from Anacapri in about twelve minutes, with the whole bay of Naples on one side and the open sea on the other. The best view on Capri by a distance. Go early — the light is better and the day-trip crowd has not yet arrived.

The three rock stacks off the south coast that are the island's signature, one of them pierced by an arch boats pass through. Seen from the Tragara belvedere on a level walk out of Capri town, or from the water. The walk is free and takes about twenty minutes each way.

The terrace across the river, up either a funicular or a stiff set of steps, looking straight down on the Roman theatre and the whole curve of the old city. Free, open, and the place to be half an hour before sunset. Ten minutes from the centre on foot plus the climb.

The view of Florence everyone has seen: the whole city, the dome and the river in one frame. A steep twenty-minute walk up from the Arno or a short bus ride. Go for sunset and expect company; go in the morning and have it nearly to yourself. San Miniato al Monte, a few minutes further up, is better and almost empty.

The town hall's bell tower over the Campo, built to exactly the height of the cathedral so that church and state stood level. Four hundred narrow steps, no lift, numbers capped at the top. The view over the tiled roofs and out into the Tuscan hills is the one people come to Siena for.

The view back over Riomaggiore's stacked houses dropping to the harbour — the photograph that sells the Cinque Terre. On the path above the village, a short steep walk from the station. Best in the last hour of light, when the west-facing front is lit.

The tower over Piazza delle Erbe, and the best view in Verona — the river bend, the roofs, the hills behind. A lift covers most of it with a short climb at the top. Twenty minutes, and the market square below is the reason to be in that part of town anyway.

The terrace at the edge of Ostuni looking out over the olive plain to the sea — the view that explains why the town is white and why it is where it is. Free, and the natural end of a walk up through the old quarter. Best in the evening.

The view back at Locorotondo from the valley road — a circular white town on a low hill, which is exactly what its name says. The Itria valley around it is the trulli country, and driving between these towns is the actual activity in this part of Puglia.