Places onthenecessity1775 Wants to Go

A quirky bookstore hidden beneath a sea of whitewashed Greek villas.

A unique form of erosion created an uncanny landscape of boulders perched atop slender columns of clay.

Legend says the only thing buried within this magnificent tomb was a dog.

In this medieval church, a centuries-old stuffed crocodile hangs from the ceiling.

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 Lago Superiore, the largest expanse of lotus flowers outside of Asia is hard to miss.

A small villa said to have inspired the design of the court jester at the heart of Giuseppe Verdi's 1851 opera.

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.

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 hidden bas-relief of a hare on a church main portal that brings good luck to the ones who find it.

The oldest church in Mantua was buried for centuries under the facades of other structures.

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.

Inside the small garden of two mid-century apartment buildings stands a centuries-old bell tower, separated from its original church and hidden from view.

Wander through a maze of empty tombs to find the poles used to hang revolutionary patriots.

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

An architectural oddity where the triglyphs of the courtyard of walls create an optical illusion.

One of the oldest libraries in the world is still operating and contains the oldest existing document in the Italian language.

A gorgeous example of 13th-century Gothic architecture.

These elaborate gothic monuments honor Verona's medieval lords.

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

On the shores of Lake Garda, the ruins of a Roman villa that allegedly belonged to the poet Catullus.

One of the most well-preserved castles in Italy also contains a rare medieval example of a port fortification.

An annual goat race takes place within the walls of this medieval castle.