Places Paiva Wants to Go

Despite centuries of architectural innovation, this French castle is being built like it's the 13th century.

One man's desire to transcend art led to the construction of this outsider chapel.

One of the world's most complex timepieces.

Figures of unknown origin carved into the surfaces of underground caves.

The opulent home that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall and the adventures within.

Tens of thousands of ancient rock carvings hidden in the heart of a French national park.

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.

Located in the house where Gustave Flaubert was born, this odd museum has more to do with medical grotesquery than the Western novel.

An Orthodox church built by the Royal Family for the Russian community exiled to the French Riviera.

This otherworldly French waterfall looks like its waters have turned to stone.

A colossal sculptural lion built by the same man who designed the Statue of Liberty.

A unique underground structure dating back to the 1st century BC.

The birthplace of the ferocious William the Conqueror, this castle is awash in medieval history.

Statue of a decomposing prince that once held his heart in its hand.

Miles of man-made caves and tunnels are currently used for cultivating mushrooms.

Trek into the depths of the cave where 17,000-year-old paintings exist alongside 400-year-old graffiti.

A centuries-old complex of hand-dug stone chambers has sheltered locals in times of trouble.

The remains of 40,000 humans, meticulously stacked in a tiny churchyard shed.

This futuristic observatory at the top of the Pyrénées offers unrivaled views.

An isolated 17th-century chapel on a remarkable site once dedicated to Celtic sun worship.

This ancient theater was once the home of fierce gladiatorial battles.

This collection of French root art looks like an indoor fairy wonderland.

The deserted pirate-themed restaurant still entices explorers.

An ancient monastery, a locked room, and a mysterious book heist.