A mysterious ancient elephant said to possess magic powers is now the symbol of a Sicilian city.

Dramatic sea stacks adorn the coast of this small village on the Adriatic coast.

Southern Italy's spinning top village.

An Italian hillside ghost town.

An abandoned quarry hides an open-air gallery of huge sculptures, some made from the rubble of 9/11.

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.

The giant skeleton sculpture is surprisingly well-traveled.

This domed temple was built in a hidden cave mouth as a refuge for sinners seeking absolution.

These medieval skyscrapers dominate the skyline of this small Tuscan town.

Small on the outside, big on the inside, this church is an astonishing act of visual deception.

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.

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

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

This centuries-old Italian chapel hangs midway down a sheer cliffside.

A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

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

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

Built to repay the sins of the father, this church is home to one of the most valuable works of Western art.

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.