Places rigor Wants to Go

When this funny little building went up in the 19th century, most people thought it would simply fall over.

The mountaintop inspiration for Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose."

This winding road through an Italian canyon may be the most scenic drive in the world.

This Italian foot path winds through the mountains via 52 individual tunnels.

The remains of 50,000 World War I soldiers rest under a towering arch overlooking the Alpine battlefields.

This military mausoleum captures the solemn grandeur that most memorials only aspire to.

A visionary Italian architect created an impressive cluster of concrete structures for a family's private tomb.

Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely homemade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create.

One of the largest caves in the world open to the public.

With its mine closed, this old village is starting to resemble a ghost town.

According to the local folklore, the myriad colors of this lake are the result of a lovelorn wizard's blunder.

These delicate sand pyramids look like naturally occurring gothic spires.

Natural cathedral designed by Italian artist Giuliano Mauri.

Bell tower juts out from a village buried under a lake.

The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.

The Sighignola summit on the Swiss border offers views so breathtaking it's been named one of the most beautiful places in Italy.

For hundreds of years, this huge figure has been blessing visitors before they explore his body.

A fairytale island floats in the middle of Italy's little-known Lake Orta.

This monastery built into a cliff hides a perfectly preserved hermit in a glass coffin.

It took 40 years to build this Eden-like garden in Marrakech, later restored by Yves Saint-Laurent.

The world's largest concentrated solar power plant.

World's largest film studio, where visitors tour the decaying sets that litter the harsh desert environment.

A fortified city, home to a remaining population of five families

An abandoned horror film set sits eerily along a highway through Hollywood's "door to the desert."