Places Rainer Heer Wants to Go

A fairytale-like medieval church perched atop a rocky cliff on Italy's "Coast of the Gods."

A colossal aqueduct from the second century B.C., deeply hidden in a gorge on the outskirts of Rome.

A monk spent 14 years carving steps through tuff to make this religious site more accessible to pilgrims.

This medieval city gate is now a blend of the past and the modern world.

The hermit's humble home is hidden near the forested peak of Monte Marrone.

A former Roman town that was once the home of Scipio Africanus.

This medieval mountain town is also known as the "Village of Streams."

The hilltop town of Segni was once home to an ancient Roman colony and garrison.

The link between these two seemingly disparate themes is crucial to the history of this Tuscan hill town.

A medieval house with mysterious alchemical inscriptions on its facade

A mountain cave is the site of archaeological findings and Paleolithic rock art.

Magnificent frescoes decorate the interior of this Romanesque church, which also showcases an unusual phenomenon during winter solstice.

This high-speed test track is popular with car manufacturers, speed freaks and orbiting astronauts.

Ancient, mysterious stone altars are hidden among wild woods in central Italy.

A narrow opening between the mountains of the Amalfi Coast creates a scenic hidden beach.

The construction of a new church near Venosa was started in the 11th century, but never finished.

This Roman amphitheatre was also the location of the first gladiator school.

The tallest statue in Italy is also one of the world's tallest statues of Jesus.

The ruins of a medieval village that was abandoned after a 19th-century inferno.

The ruins of an abbey believed to have been founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century.

The ruins of this Roman temple dominate the small city in southern Lazio.

A massive bridge forms part of an aqueduct that was deemed an architectural wonder of its time.

The city of Parma's cathedral is home to one of the greatest illusionistic frescoes of the Renaissance.

Italy's "New Mountain" rose from the ground in a volcanic eruption in 1538.