Places onlyfrancis Wants to Go

Ruins of a 10th century church tucked away deep in a botanical garden.

This domed temple was built in a hidden cave mouth as a refuge for sinners seeking absolution.

The location of the last witch trials of Italy, known as "The Salem of Europe."

This private skyway is filled with art and was expanded explicitly so that Hitler could appreciate a river.

The secret medieval communication system will whisk your words above the noise of the crowd.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

This 16th-century monastery has been turned into a surrealist architecture compound.

This bronze boar's snout has been rubbed to a golden sheen by visitors seeking good fortune.

The abandoned "Ghost Mansion" was left to decay in the mountains of Northern Italy.

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Dug as a secret royal escape route, the tunnel became a wartime bomb shelter and dumping ground for vintage cars.

An Italian hillside ghost town.

Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely homemade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create.

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

One of the world’s smallest bars, just 13 square feet, is brimming with speakeasy flair.

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

This enchanting 600-year-old tree is so magical it inspired the beloved tale of Pinocchio.

Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

Drink wine handed out through a window as part of an age-old tradition.

According to the local folklore, the myriad colors of this lake are the result of a lovelorn wizard's blunder.