Places thenavigatrix Wants to Go

In a city famous for its cemeteries, it's no wonder these are easy to overlook—they clock in at just a few inches tall.

This unique shop is full of memento mori art, antique medical equipment, secret society paraphernalia, and historical relics.

An extraordinary house museum and cabinet of curiosities in the heart of Florence.

A medieval weapon rumored to have been used by the brilliant poet himself.

Legend says this mysterious stone head belongs to a woman who was petrified by an alchemist.

Secret refuge and museum of the Duke of Florence.

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

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

The doodles of a genius line the walls of a secret room under the Medici Chapel, where they were hidden for nearly 500 years.

The middle finger of modernity.

Drink wine handed out through a window as part of an age-old tradition.

This room of wonder is full of relics, from knights in armor to rare works of art.

Believed to be the remains of the lost Temple of Minerva, this nymphaeum has been known by its misnomer to this day.

The engineering wonder and pleasure dome of a much-maligned emperor still holds undiscovered secrets.

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.

The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.

This hidden Art Nouveau courtyard is an opulent feast for the eyes.

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."

Museum dedicated to literary greats of the Romantic Period is also the home in which Keats met his untimely end.

Inside this McDonald's you can dine on your Big Mac and fries next to a 2,500-year-old Roman wall.

An alchemist's “magic door” stands in the middle of a Roman park.

Centuries-old hoofprints and wagon tracks reveal themselves after a good winter storm.

This little-known rival to the Library of Congress houses one of the largest collections of pre-1876 American books, newspapers, and manuscripts.