YOU MAY BE WALKING ALONG AND HEAR VIOLINS. The music is coming out of a church. Take a peek inside: a chamber ensemble is at the altar, surrounded by luscious baroque architecture. Heavenly.

You’re in Italy where this kind of thing isn’t rare, especially in the major cities. Yes, there are impressive symphony halls, opera houses, and outdoor summer festivals where you can go to hear excellent classical music. But there’s something about the intimacy of the church setting, where the music is often not miked, the surroundings pull you back to gentler times when the pieces were composed, and there you are up close to a handsome fella soulfully playing a cello…

Many chamber ensemble concerts are free; none are very expensive. This is an experience you could plan ahead for, but you’re bound to just be walking along and see a banner announcing the event and decide to go that evening. There’s no set seating, so get there early if you’d like to be up front. If you or your beloved traveling partner grumbles “Classical music, not me,” try an “It’ll only be an hour or two tops” nudge. This will probably become one of the most memorable experiences of your trip, and theirs.

Venice–Home of Vivaldi

Venice reveres Vivaldi, that romantic baroque musician of Four Seasons (Quattro Stagioni) fame, who was born here in 1678. He was a revolutionary composer, boldly bringing emotion to the violin and its sister string instruments—from heights of joy to depths of melancholy. His ornate music matches the Venetian spirit.

All over Venice you’ll see posters for chamber ensemble performances where Vivaldi is the headliner. And there will often be other greats such as Corelli, Rossini, and Mozart on the bill. You’ll also be approached by beaming costumed folks who are putting on Vivaldi shows. To put it as nicely as possible, the costumed folks are not who I mean when I’m talking great Vivaldi in Venice, so don’t confuse them with the authentic chamber ensembles.

Tickets are easy to get online, at tourist kiosks, or through your hotel; I’ve also done fine off-season just showing up right before the concert. Performance nights vary and most starting times are 8:30ish.

• Interpreti Veneziani–Chiesa San Vidal, San Marco (www.interpretiveneziani.com)

  The very best! A young, exuberant ensemble that’s received critical raves since they came onto the scene in 1987. The seventeenth-century church setting is enriched with paintings from Carpaccio and other Venetian masters.

• Collegium Ducale–Palazzo delle Prigioni, San Marco (www.collegiumducale.com)

  This ensemble is composed of the best musicians from Venetian orchestras, performing classical repertory in rooms of the Doges Palace prison, where the notorious Casanova once had a stay.

Rome

• Concerts in the Sacristy of Borromini–Piazza Navona (www.santagneseinagone.org)

  Right off Piazza Navona, in the back of the Church of Saint Agnes in Agony, is this jewel box, designed by the baroque master Borromini. Here guest artists—from award-winning young players to musicians of international fame—bring in a varied repertoire. Your program may include Schubert, Paganini, Debussy, Mozart, Brahms, or Chopin. Evening performances usually start around 6 P.M.

Florence

• Concerts in Chiesa di Santa Monaca—Oltrarno (www.classictic.com)

  This fifteenth-century church, close to the Piazza Santo Spirito, hosts small ensembles that excellently play baroque classics with great passion.

• Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina (www.orcafi.it)

  Critically acclaimed as the best chamber orchestra in Europe, this forty-piece ensemble performs chamber music and symphonic concerts, from such composers as Pergolesi, Schubert, Beethoven, and Haydn. Star guest musicians often add flash to the bill. It’s on a grander scale than most “music in churches” experiences, and performances take place in various beautiful venues in Florence, including the Museo di Orsanmichele and the Courtyard of the Bargello Museum.