Places Ru Chia Wants to Go

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

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

This sword isn't waiting for a king to pull it out. It was placed there by a saint.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

A labyrinth of ancient tunnels hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.

This domed temple was built in a hidden cave mouth as a refuge for sinners seeking absolution.

This enchanting 600-year-old tree is so magical it inspired the beloved tale of Pinocchio.

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

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

An Italian hillside ghost town.

This quaint Italian town keeps losing ground as the sides of its plateau slowly erode.

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.

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

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.