Places piccolo8va Wants to Go

300-year-old villagers houses and traditional churches preserve a nearly lost piece of Russian history.

This 15th-century cave complex is one of the very few monasteries to stay open throughout World War II and the Soviet regime.

Gargantuan home of Russian science.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

A uniquely authentic display of traditional Russian culture.

Former estate of Lenin, now home to his death mask.

The giant Siberian crater known locally as the "doorway to the underworld" is expanding every year.

This Russian locomotive museum was once devoted just to Lenin's funeral before expanding to encompass Moscow's entire train history.

Stalin's secret bunker.

This small museum is basically a time capsule of daily life in the Soviet Union.

Stalinist skyscraper built with help of cryotechnology.

A city block packed with whimsical sculptures that seem to be plucked from a tiled fantasy world.

The avant-garde design was able to bypass strict Soviet regulations on architecture.

Two islands just 4 km apart separated by an International Border and Date Line.

Former prison camp dedicated to the victims of political repression.

Church built on the site where the last tsar of Russia and his family were killed.

This nostalgic Russian museum is full of USSR cultural artifacts from the 1970s and 80s.

One of the largest collections of socialist realist art shows the surprising depth of the official art of the Soviet Union.

Stalin's prisoner-built rail line sits in ruin, never having a single car ride its tracks.

No one knows why ancient labyrinths were built on this tiny northern island.

Replica of mosque destroyed by Russia in the 16th century.

This Russian museum stresses the importance of keeping clean and even holds one of Pavlov's dogs.

A scale model of Russia so big visitors are offered binoculars to rent so they can see the whole thing.

This frozen-in-time summer home outside Moscow provides a look at Russian life in the 1950s.