Since Italy has over half of the artistic masterpieces in the world, you probably already have a list a mile long of "must-see" artistic treasures. But sometimes there are special shows that are just as unique and unrepeatable, even here! The focus at the Fondazione Mazzotta in Milan, until June 19, is on Giuseppe de Nittis (1846-1884). Renowned for being "a southerner in the south of Italy, French in Paris, and a Londoner in London," he was indeed born in Barletta, near Bari in Puglia, and died in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In Italy, he was considered one of the macchiaioli, while in France, he was close to the Impressionists.

Pisa hosts the first of several groundbreaking exhibits dedicated to the origins of Christian painting in the West. Entitled Cimabue a Pisa : La pittura pisana del Duecento da Giunta a Giotto (Cimabue in Pisa : 13th-century Pisan painting from Giunta to Giotto), it presents a staggering collection of masterpieces that began their lives in this part of Tuscany, only to be dispersed to other collections throughout the world.

In recent years, the Palladian villas have become a destination that lovers of architecture simply cannot miss. This spring more than 300 works from 50 museums all over the world will be on display to tell the story of how those villas came to be. They include paintings by Veronese, Titian, Tiepolo, Guercino, Bassano, as well as drawings by Raphael, Giulio Romano, Peruzzi, Canaletto and Palladio himself - all in reference to the most beautiful of the 5,000 villas that were built over a space of six centuries, throughout the countryside between the Veneto and Friuli.

Rome 's Complesso del Vittoriano hosts an exhibition dedicated to Edvard Munch, featuring 100 works (about 60 of which are oils on canvas) by the great Norwegian master, precursor of Expressionism, an artist who represented modern existential angst like no other.

Naples of the Grand Tour was the destination for writers and artists from all countries who considered the city an inspirational muse. This feeling can be seen in the 100 works of Neapolitan landscape painters from 1820 to 1880, running through July 21 at Turin 's Palazzo Cavour.