This rocky spread has been squeezed up directly from the bowels of the earth.

A statue of the early navigator stands overlooking the land he first surveyed.

This abandoned mining village was predicted to resist decay longer than any other modern human settlement.

These spindly, stone-capped formations are the product of glacial deposits and thousands of years of erosion.

These ruins of a Phoenician sanctuary in Sicily have a dark history.

Leveled by an earthquake, this Italian village is now preserved as a massive concrete art project.

Every Easter, a small Sicilian town builds a stunning cathedral out of bread.

"Stairs of the Turks", a chalky white cliff eroded conveniently into stairs, allowing for easy pillaging.

The largest Canadian war cemetery in Italy commemorates those who died in one of the bloodiest battles of the Italian campaign during World War II.

This war memorial commemorates some of the world's first paratroopers.

For two decades in the 13th century, the papacy operated from this palace in central Italy, which served as the site of the first—and longest—papal election conclave in history.

This little visited park is a treasure trove of ancient Roman ruins.

An oasis of beauty, tranquility and botanical research in the middle of Rome.

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.

This unassuming bridge is most likely one of Michelangelo's unfinished masterworks.

An expansive collection donated by an heirless nobleman formed this admission-free civic museum.

The martyr's wax-enhanced skeletal remains lie preserved in a glass case in the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

A freedman baker’s lavish tomb has a relief showing various stages of Roman bread making.

Roman-era ships unearthed...

This entire town moved to a safe location after it was devastated by an earthquake, but the remains of the original town are still around.

Gorgeous views of Italian mountains and valleys form the backdrop of this unique open-air theater.

The ancient Greeks abandoned this quarry to escape Hannibal's devastating invasion.

Albert Einstein's head sticks out of a snail shell stacked on a rocket in this truly bizarre monument to the scientist.

The world's tallest church tower reveals a spectacular view to anyone up to the task of climbing the daunting staircase.