Saint Borromeo often prayed in this austere crypt during the 16th century.

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

The secret medieval communication system will whisk your words above the noise of the crowd.

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

Before there were doorbells this bronze ear was installed for visitors to announce their arrival.

This curious building hides eclectic details like medieval gargoyles alongside naked angels and Art Nouveau mosaics.

Long-abandoned art nouveau baths beneath Milan's Piazza Oberdan.

Old batteries and frog skeletons reside in this lakeside monument to Alessandro Volta.

This 1st-century CE Roman bath sits under a carpark.

The mummified relic of St. Catherine sits forever on a golden throne.

Stuck in the arcade of Casa Isolani are three arrows of mysterious origins.

This building features dozens of faces along its facade, although one is a bit chilling.

Once known for its horse-powered knife sharpening, this 200-year-old shop offers an array of blades and hard-to-find culinary tools.

In the world's oldest university is a stunning 17th century anatomical theater carved from spruce.

A striking memorial recalls thousands of Bolognese men and women killed fighting fascists in World War II.

A large statue of Pope Gregory XIII in Bologna was disguised as Saint Petronius to avoid destruction.

Legend has it this fountain built to symbolize the Pope’s power hides a strange secret concerning Neptune's manliness.

The remains of an ancient Roman city are hidden underneath Bologna's beautiful public library.

A small window on Via Piella offers a lovely and rare peek at Bologna's lost canals.

Over 100 towers were built in Bologna during the Middle Ages, but only 22 survive.

Time has been frozen at this station since the bombing in 1980—or so it was believed.

One of the most well-preserved castles in Italy also contains a rare medieval example of a port fortification.

On the shores of Lake Garda, the ruins of a Roman villa that allegedly belonged to the poet Catullus.

A climbing route in the mountains of Italy’s Dolomites, built for soldiers during World War I.