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

A sinister pyramid in the Frari contains the heart of the famous neoclassical sculptor.

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

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

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

According to Greek mythology, this natural spring is the home of a freshwater nymph.

Built on a medieval synagogue, this church has a burial crypt, tunnel system, and Jewish ritual bath hiding deep underneath.

Italian cave with exceptional acoustics and an unsavory history.

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

This Arabesque Italian castle was built with a primitive, if ingenious, air-conditioning system.

Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.

This uncanny fresco celebrating the "triumph of death" was split into four pieces to be moved to another museum.

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.

This skeletal, unfinished Gothic church once housed a miraculous masterpiece by Raphael.

Cave shrine on Monte Pellegrino.

Haunting graffiti left by prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition.

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.

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

Before it was buried by volcanic ash, this fast-food restaurant fed the hungry hordes of ancient Rome.

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.

Erotic art covers the walls of the largest ancient pleasure palace.