In Florence's great Duomo, a 26 foot fresco honors a mercenary famous for attacking Florence.

The graveyard is filled with beautiful funerary art and boasts breathtaking views of Florence.

Once home to one of the oldest banks in the world, this building is also where Marco Polo's famous travelogue was written.

Among the ostentatious rococo ornamentation of this church, an image of death cuts the life-thread.

The patron saint of spinsters grasps a container of dried blood.

Built to give thanks for the passing of a plague epidemic, this cathedral is a one-of-a-kind architectural hybrid.

The final resting place for the remains of 143 Habsburg royalty.

Over 100 towers were built in Bologna during the Middle Ages, but only 22 survive.

A bronze woman in a stylized dress honors a courageous politician.

The world's largest historic armory was established by independent citizens to defend themselves from the wars of larger forces.

Austria's ultra-modern art museum looks like Cthulhu's giant alien heart.

Resting in the middle of an Austrian river, this sci-fi "island" lets people cross in neon style.

A popular legend claims that the famous pizza was invented at a restaurant in this alley.

In a city that boasts four separate inclined cable railways, this is one of the busiest funicular lines in the world.

This medieval city gate is now a blend of the past and the modern world.

Every day is like Christmas on this street where the traditional Neapolitan nativity scene comes to life.

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

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.

This amazingly well-preserved villa just outside Pompeii boasts rare examples of ancient Roman paintings.

An Italian crevasse filled with abandoned buildings gives visitors a look at the world without humans.

The ruins of the largest gladiatorial school in Rome are largely hidden under modern streets.

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

Rome’s legendary peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.