Places pattyannish Wants to Go

The skulls and bones of thousands of soldiers line the walls of this small Italian chapel.

A completely underground tour following the path of the most precious element: water.

This medieval castle was reconstructed by Carlo Scarpa.

It’s said this crypt was the setting for the tragic finale of the Shakespeare play.

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

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

The "floating factory" was a highlight in the career of the Italian architect known for his unusual use of reinforced concrete.

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 young Italian couple has been locked in an embrace for over 6,000 years.

Italy's curious field of mud volcanoes is named for being both gross AND salty.

Hundreds of Roman amphorae are stored in an ususpecting underground parking lot.

A sudden, striking cluster of hills south of Padua has been attracting visitors for centuries.

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

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

An eerie, little-known Neapolitan museum filled with preserved human remains.

The remains of the left arm of the levitating philosopher-saint are kept in a 13th-century Neapolitan basilica.

The burial place of an obscure North African saint was turned into a macabre body preservation factory for the 17th-century Neapolitan elite.

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

Locals pay their respects at a shrine to soccer player Diego Maradona—which claims to contain a real lock of his hair.

An underground paleo-Christian burial site composed of the remains of several cemeteries and Basilicas.

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

This shining multicolored metro station deep under Naples is said to be the most beautiful in Europe.

Every day a troupe of pampered water fowl walk the red carpet to their favorite fountain.

The ruins of an 800-year-old monastery boasts the tallest round tower in Ireland.