Places onlyfrancis Wants to Go

An unusual house built using an iso-elastic membrane.

An old mining site that is slowly being reclaimed by nature.

South of Bologna, a limestone grotto with a protruding waterfall and a floor full of cave pearls.

An 11th-century mountaintop fortress that played a crucial role in Italy's papal wars is now a vacation rental.

A stunning bridge that appears as if it's lunging to the shore, and has a legend of a devilish architect.

The mysterious “claw marks” said to be left by the Devil on Pisa’s famous cathedral.

The first botanical garden, a feather in the cap of the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Stumbling upon this whimsical wooded garden is like stepping into an enchanted forest full of philosophical musings.

Fortified medieval tower house with lovely roof garden.

This 21st century cabinet of curiosities includes dinosaur bones, moon rocks, film memorabilia, and more.

Walk through a fairytale in Tuscany.

The towering Pinocchio stands 63 feet tall in the Italian village his creator frequented as a child.

The largest ongoing mosaic project in Europe.

A whimsical Renaissance fountain sculpture from Florence, world-renowned for defying convention.

This garden among the Florentine hills is complete with a meditation path and works of poetry.

Stuck in the arcade of Casa Isolani are three arrows of mysterious origins.

A beloved local artist has been honored with this statue of a man emerging from a toilet.

This building features dozens of faces along its facade, although one is a bit chilling.

The mummified relic of St. Catherine sits forever on a golden throne.

In the world's oldest university is a stunning 17th century anatomical theater carved from spruce.

This zoological museum began as the first great curiosity cabinet.

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

A small window on Via Piella offers a lovely and rare peek at Bologna's lost canals.

Everything from fried brains to stewed lungs are on the menu at this nose-to-tail spot.