Places Ian Engweiler Wants to Go

Caligula's colossal pleasure ships, discovered by Mussolini only to be lost in flames.

Among the busts of heroes of the Roman Republic of 1849, there is also a statue of a boy and his dog.

This medieval church in Rome was almost destroyed following a terrorist attack in 1993.

This museum located in Fondi is also said to be the most haunted building in town.

This whimsical fountain depicts a winged siren shooting water out of her nipples into the fires of Mount Vesuvius.

An ancient Egyptian obelisk is now used to commemorate fallen Italian soldiers.

The meaning behind this triumphal Roman arch was a mystery until the early 20th century.

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

The ruins of this Roman temple dominate the small city in southern Lazio.

This brightly-colored chapel is a contemporary jewel standing in the middle of a La Morra vineyard.

A mushroom-shaped outcropping that has come to be the symbol for an entire town.

A Roman temple perched over an Italian town, forgotten several times over.

Third time's a charm, or in this case, two testicles are.

This Italian ski resort rose to fame when Benito Mussolini was held prisoner there and then rescued by the SS.

Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini fell in love with this lonely 13th-century tower while making his most famous film.

If you ever wanted to touch a medieval mercenary’s three testicles, look no further.

The oldest-known example of a historic architectural style recognized by UNESCO.

A small Byzantine church lost in the middle of the mountains of southern Italy.

What better way to honor a pioneering anatomist than by preserving his severed head like a specimen?

Ancient, mysterious stone altars are hidden among wild woods in central Italy.

Wandering this ancient burial place offers a glimpse of the afterlife in the fresco-adorned tombs of an ancient Etruscan civilization.

The charred, dead skeleton of an oak tree is said to have consoled a dying 16th-century Italian poet.

A former Roman town that was once the home of Scipio Africanus.

An abandoned village that resides along the mountains of the Aosta Valley.