This Italian stadium makes liberal use of fascist statuary to evoke classical sporting arenas.

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.

A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.

Ernest Hemingway was the first to sign this colorful wall covered in thousands of celebrity signatures.

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

The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead still cares for the skulls at this mini-Fontanelle.

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

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

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

The oldest volcanology research center in the world.

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.

Ancient cave tombs known as the "houses of fairies."

142 ceramic steps become a mosaic once a year.

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

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

These "anatomical machines" are only one of the many strange items in this Italian crypt.

Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

Auguste Maïcon, a pioneer in French aviation, was born in this house in 1891.

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.

Lyon's miniature version of the Eiffel Tower was built as a statement in support of French secularism.