Renaissance

Located south of the Arno in Florence, this Brunelleschi creation was described by Bernini as the most beautiful church in the world. Inside are 38 chapels and 35 columns, all perfectly placed.

Hailed by some as the most perfect Renaissance building in the Germanic countries, Salzburg's cathedral has a marble facade, twin symmetrical towers and the font in which Mozart was baptized.

The Hofkirche in Innsbruck is a royal mausoleum built in 1553. It contains the ornate black marble tomb of Emperor Maximilian I surrounded by larger-than-life bronze sculptures of his ancestors.

Paolo Veronese spent a large part of his life decorating this unassuming 16th-century church, and was buried among his masterpieces.

Now the Royal Pantheon for the Portuguese monarchy, this church was originally part of a 12th-century convent. The current building dates from 1582-1627.