Baroque is Catholic political theatre
The Counter-Reformation needed buildings that overwhelmed visitors emotionally. Rome and the Habsburg empire produced the most. Style varied: Roman Baroque (Bernini, Borromini), Austrian Baroque (Fischer von Erlach), Bohemian (Dientzenhofer), Neapolitan, and Lecce Baroque each distinct.
Rome
Rome Saint Peter's Basilica, Bernini's Saint Peter's Square, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane. Centro Storico the dense Baroque grid.
Vienna
Vienna Karlskirche (Fischer von Erlach), Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere Palace. Habsburg-imperial Baroque grand and white-and-gold. Innere Stadt base.
Salzburg
Salzburg compact Baroque masterpiece — Cathedral, Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Residenz. Old town reads as one continuous Baroque set piece because the prince-archbishops rebuilt everything in a 60-year window.
Prague
Prague Bohemian Baroque is wilder — Saint Nicholas Church (Malá Strana), Loreta, Wallenstein Palace. Dientzenhofer father-son work key. Prague Baroque has a slightly haunted, asymmetric feeling Roman doesn't.
Lecce
Italy's Baroque capital that nobody outside Italy mentions. "Lecce stone" — soft local sandstone — let craftsmen carve absurd levels of detail. Santa Croce, Piazza del Duomo. Day-trip or overnight from Bari, Italy's heel.
Naples
Naples Baroque excess + theatricality — Cappella Sansevero (Veiled Christ), Gesù Nuovo, San Gregorio Armeno (the Christmas-shop street). Naples Baroque feels alive, not museum-piece.
Strategy
Visit early morning for empty churches. Many Baroque churches close midday (12–4pm). Modernist guide is the contemporary counterpart.