Touching this 18th-century Scottish philosopher’s toe allegedly conjures good fortune.

This charming old building's loose connection with the Scottish Reformer is what saved it from demolition after it split apart.

This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile constituted the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.

A series of three shiny letters mark the boundary of an old refuge for those being pursued by debt collectors.

This was once a hall in which a 16th-century royal banquet was hosted by King James VI of Scotland.

Overlooking the burial ground is a tower designed to prevent thieves from snatching the recently deceased.

Thousand-year-old Viking runes adorn an ancient Greek lion at the entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.

The pile of books behind the dignified writer gave the statue a most undignified nickname.

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.

Hanging within this medieval church are the bones of a beast allegedly slain by a fourth-century saint.

The sunlight passing through the opening of this huge cave system creates a magical effect.

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

The remains of an ancient Roman city are hidden underneath Bologna's beautiful public library.

A rare example of an octagonal Catholic church.

A spiritual sanctuary in a natural cave.

Tourists to the mountaintop Sicilian town often overlook its ancient fortifications.

The train platform where Jews were sent to concentration camps is now preserved as a Holocaust memorial.

A long-buried ancient ruin unearthed right in the middle of the city.

This cathedral hides a sculpted dog that determines your fate and an unexploded shell from World War II.

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.

Dynamite factory turned museum explores the history of explosives.

The roof of this ancient mausoleum is made from a single Istrian stone weighing a massive 230 tons.

This amazingly preserved Doric temple was abandoned before it was ever completed.

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.