Places ElSilencio Wants to Go

Romans decided this 16th-century "talking statue" was so ugly, they named it after a primate.

This 18th-century dissection theater's frescoes display a gorgeous tension between the terrestrial and esoteric.

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.

This Italian pyramid is said to hold the mingled remains of the dead from both sides of the Battle of Novara.

This Neapolitan exhibition hall grants weird and wonderful insight into the intricacies of human biology.

When this funny little building went up in the 19th century, most people thought it would simply fall over.

Abandoned cemetery of the former Psychiatric Hospital of Volterra.

Abandoned village in Sicily built during the agricultural reforms of Mussolini.

The sunlight passing through the opening of this huge cave system creates a magical effect.

A dead saint, a deadly poison, and a mysterious holy ooze.

This Italian church is as beautiful as it is common, except for the real skulls decorating the many mannequins inside.

This monastery built into a cliff hides a perfectly preserved hermit in a glass coffin.

A wunderkammer of curious objects and intriguing art nestled within a hub of ancient Roman sites.

Also known as the Square Colosseum, this building is a prime example of fascist-era rationalist architecture.

This ultra-modern burial building would have stacked the dead like a giant filing cabinet.

A medieval fresco which reminds visitors that death will come for us all.

Ride a boat through this magnificent underground world, which now doubles as a theater.

Does this strange mural depict witches battling beneath a penis tree?

This church carved into the rocks is full of enchanting stone statues.

This former fascist summer camp was abandoned for decades.

A magnificent Neogothic tomb hides within this Italian fairytale-like forest.

This precariously perched fortress was once ruled by a crow-worshipping baron.

This Italian stadium makes liberal use of fascist statuary to evoke classical sporting arenas.

A diverse collection of wax, bone, papier-maché and mummified relics.