The seat of the Mantua bishop holds many secrets within its walls.

A medieval tower with a suspended iron cage used as an open-air jail for criminals who were exposed as a warning.

This decoration above a door, an unofficial family crest, is said to come alive during the night to try to get free of the stone.

Once the hunting reserve of a noble family, this is one of the few remnants of Pleistocene planitial forest in northern Italy that still stands.

In a tower at this centuries-old castle, members of a noble family were imprisoned and left to starve.

A monumental fountain in Rome features a large statue of Moses that has been criticized for centuries.

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

A sculpture serving as an homage to Pope John Paul II.

This curious, round temple is the oldest still-standing marble building in Rome.

This ancient market is often referred to as the oldest shopping mall in the world.

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.

A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

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."

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.

A small island in Lake Garda that was used as a burial site, pirate hideout, and a monastery.

It took more than 300 years to build this church, which is home to two sacred vessels believed to hold the blood of Christ.

A room filled with frescos that make it seem like the walls are crumbling down while giants die in despair.

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

The intricate geometry inside this Baroque-style dome was designed to create "terror of the human soul."

A large statue of Pope Gregory XIII in Bologna was disguised as Saint Petronius to avoid destruction.