Places daveschaaf Wants to Go

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

Next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a cemetery home to ancient sarcophagi and disturbing murals.

The only visible reminders of an elaborate engineering project that kept the tower from reaching the tipping point.

The first botanical garden, a feather in the cap of the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

The odd depiction of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus is rooted in the Catholic Church's eradication of Catharism.

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

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

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

A new sculpture calls attention to climate change in the centuries-old city it threatens.

This sturdy, circular stronghold served as one of the forts that protected the Venetian Lagoon.

In the past, Renaissance sex workers were encouraged to entice customers on this bridge.

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.

Thousand-year-old Viking runes adorn an ancient Greek lion at the entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.

Venice's island of the dead.

Hanging within this medieval church are the bones of a beast allegedly slain by a fourth-century saint.

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.

The plague quarantine island home to the alleged "Vampire of Venice."