The Villa Romana del Casale (Sicilian: Villa Rumana dû Casali) is a large and detailed Roman villa or palace located about 3 km from the town of Piazza Armerina, Sicily. Archaeological digs have uncovered Roman mosaics that, according to the Grove Dictionary of Art, are the most extensive, varied, and rich collection of mosaics still existing. Because of this, the site was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The Villa d’Este is a 16th-century villa located in Tivoli, near Rome. It is a famous example of Italian architecture and garden design. The villa is known for its terraced hillside garden and creative features such as fountains, ornamental basins, and decorated ceilings.
Vézelay Abbey (French: Abbaye Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay) is a Benedictine and Cluniac monastery located in Vézelay, in the east-central French department of Yonne. It was built between 1120 and 1150. The Benedictine abbey church, now called the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (Saint Mary Magdalene), is known for its detailed artwork on sculpted capitals and portals.
Vegaøyan (Norwegian) or the Vega Archipelago (English) is a group of islands in the Norwegian Sea, located in Nordland county, Norway. Most of the archipelago is found within Vega Municipality. Since 2004, the area has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Vat Phou is a ruined Khmer-Hindu temple complex in southern Laos. A sacred place existed on the site, centered around a spring and a location where people left offerings to a protective spirit. This area dates back to very old times.
Vatican City, officially called the Vatican City State (in Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; in Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), is often shortened to “the Vatican.” It is a landlocked, independent city-state. The Pope rules Vatican City, and it is located within the city of Rome, Italy. It serves as the administrative center of the Catholic Church.
The former Van Nelle Factory (Dutch: Van Nellefabriek) is located on the Schie in Rotterdam. It is an important example of modernist and functionalist architecture. The factory was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
Uvs Lake Basin, also called Uvs Nuur Basin or Ubs Nuur Basin (Mongolian: Увс нуурын хотгор), is a basin that does not drain into the ocean. It is located on the border between Mongolia and Tuva, a region in Russia. The basin is part of the Central Asian Internal Drainage Basin and is named after Uvs Lake (Uvs Nuur, Ubsu Nur), a large salty lake in the western part of its area.
Uruq Bani Ma’arid (Arabic: عروق بني معارض) is a protected area in southern Saudi Arabia. It is located on the western edge of the Rub’ al Khali, which is the largest sandy desert in the world. The protected area has three parts: a special area for nature, a zone where limited grazing is allowed, and a hunting area.
The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is the 65 km (40 mi) southern part of the Middle Rhine, located between Koblenz and Rüdesheim in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002 due to its natural beauty as a cultural landscape, its role as a major transportation route across Europe, and the special way buildings and terraces were designed to fit the steep slopes of the gorge. The area’s rocks were formed during the Devonian period and are called Rhenish Facies.