Places gavinsparby Wants to Go

The incorrupt tongue of the patron saint of lost things is venerated in this basilica.

A beautifully well-preserved ancient Roman villa.

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

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

This overgrown mountain village has been abandoned for nearly a century.

One of the highest mountain passes in Europe has been ranked among the best driving roads in the world.

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

This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon.

This medieval hilltop village was abandoned at the end of the 19th century, after existing for more than 500 years.

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

Artistic tombs, monuments, and a beautiful "Hall of Fame" lurk inside this cemetery.

This one-of-a-kind Roman arch is not actually dedicated to the god Janus.

This amazingly preserved Doric temple was abandoned before it was ever completed.

It’s said this crypt was the setting for the tragic finale of the Shakespeare play.

The Emperor Tiberius' palace of debauchery.

Centuries ago, red and white wine poured from the statue's breasts whenever a new Venetian ruler was elected.

On the coast of Sardinia, a once-great mining village is finding new life as a coastal resort town.

Rome's first modern graffito is all that is left of a peaceful protest from the 1970s.

Roman politician Herodes Atticus built this nymphaeum to honor his wife, whom he may have murdered.

This natural gas vent certainly earns its name as the smallest volcano in Italy.

Cave shrine on Monte Pellegrino.

Explore the quarry where the marble was sourced for Michaelangelo's David.

A quiet Sicilian village is home to a cafe that had an important role in "The Godfather."

Largest necropolis in the Mediterranean.