The city of Parma's cathedral is home to one of the greatest illusionistic frescoes of the Renaissance.

Just across from the "Last Supper" painting is the famous painter's vineyard, a gift received for creating the masterpiece.

A brutalist gem towering over the heart of Milan.

Milan's duomo is covered in beautiful carving including a curious "dinosaur-like" beast.

This grisly effigy displays an early Christian martyr who was skinned alive and beheaded.

Water and windows define this defensive Italian well.

A rococo room covered entirely in porcelain originally constructed for another royal residence.

The burial place of an obscure North African saint was turned into a macabre body preservation factory for the 17th-century Neapolitan elite.

The relics of dozens of martyrs are stored in a single chapel.

The sacristy of this church contains remains and relics of members of the Aragonese royal family.

San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples, greets pedestrians between these narrow city streets.

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

Historic fortifications form the boundary of Vatican City, but it’s not entirely surrounded by walls.

A small cell adjacent to this church was once the bedroom for a renowned saint.

This hydrochronometer was invented by a Dominican monk and is a prime feature in this garden.

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.

An ancient Roman temple first dedicated to an emperor's wife is now a church.

This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.

Inside the small garden of two mid-century apartment buildings stands a centuries-old bell tower, separated from its original church and hidden from view.

A room filled with frescos that make it seem like the walls are crumbling down while giants die in despair.

A young Italian couple has been locked in an embrace for over 6,000 years.

The seat of the Mantua bishop holds many secrets within its walls.