Screw The Vacation, Take A Hi-Res Satellite Journey Through Italy's Tourist Hotspots

Photo: Google Earth

It would be nice to spend a few days in Italy, floating through the canals of Venice, hiking on the Amalfi Coast, and gobbling pizza.But if you can’t spare the vacation days, we’ve got a consolation prize: a satellite journey through Italy’s best tourist spots.

Of course these places look beautiful from the ground, but they also look pretty incredible from outer space.

FLORENCE: The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Florence Cathedral, is one of Italy's largest churches.

FLORENCE: The Boboli Gardens sit behind the Pitti Palace, the main seat of the Medici grand dukes of Tuscany.

FLORENCE: The Ponte Vecchio, a Medieval bridge over Florence's Arno river, is famously lined with shops.

AMALFI COAST: This stretch of coastline extends from Positano in the west to Vietri sul Mare in the east.

MT. VESUVIUS: This volcano is best known for the eruption that led to the destruction of Pompeii in 79 AD.

LAKE COMO: This glacial lake is a popular retreat for Italy's wealthy (and George Clooney).

PISA: The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of Italy's best known tourist spots.

VENICE: The Grand Canal is one of Venice's main thoroughfares; it is lined with more than 170 buildings.

VATICAN CITY: The home of the Pope, the Vatican is known for its gardens and famed Sistine Chapel.

ROME: The Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti, or Spanish Steps, are the widest staircase in Italy.

ROME: Legend has it that anyone who throws a coin into Trevi Fountain will return to Rome.

ROME: The Pantheon is nearly 2,000 years old, and it's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

ROME: The Roman Forum, now in ruins, was once the centre of public life in Rome.

ROME: The Colosseum, which seated 50,000 spectators, was used for gladitorial contests and other public spectacles.

Ready to buy a home in Italy?

This $35 million villa next door to George Clooney's is for sale >

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.