Chiusdino, Italy
The Sword in the Stone at Montesiepi Chapel
This sword isn't waiting for a king to pull it out. It was placed there by a saint.
Places Goksu Wants to Go
315
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Siena, Italy
St. Catherine of Siena's Severed Head
A dismembered holy head stares out from her beautiful reliquary at the St. Dominic Basilica.
Bomarzo, Italy
The Monsters of Bomarzo
A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.
Urbania, Italy
Chiesa dei Morti (Church of the Dead)
Eighteen mummies have stood guard behind the altar of this tiny church since 1833.
Rome, Italy
The Wax-Encased Remains of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi
The mystic whose incorrupt corpse still attracts the faithful.
Rome, Italy
Santa Francesca Romana
St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.
Rome, Italy
Passetto di Borgo
The Pope’s secret escape route.
Vatican City
La Resurrezione
If you want to talk to the Pope you will have to stare down this surreal vision of Jesus rising from a nuclear hell.
Rome, Italy
Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio
More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.
Rome, Italy
Arch of Gallienus
This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
Rome, Italy
Natural Monument of Galeria Antica
An Italian ghost town that fought obscurity, until a mysterious illness brought it to its knees.
Rome, Italy
Vigna Randanini
One of seven Jewish catacombs in Rome and one of only two open to the public.
Rome, Italy
Lacus Curtius
A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.
Rome, Italy
Keats-Shelley Memorial House
Museum dedicated to literary greats of the Romantic Period is also the home in which Keats met his untimely end.
Rome, Italy
Mamertine Prison
This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross not as blasphemy but as saintly tribute.
Rome, Italy
Meridian Line of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs
Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.
Rome, Italy
The Head of St. John the Baptist at San Silvestro in Capite
One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.
Rome, Italy
Ospedale delle Bambole (Doll Hospital)
A hospital where antique dolls are given new life.
Rome, Italy
Basilica di San Clemente
A Nesting Doll of Churches.
Rome, Italy
Papal Hearts at Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi
This former Roman Catholic Church still contains the embalmed hearts and organs of 22 popes.
Rome, Italy
Domus Aurea
The engineering wonder and pleasure dome of a much-maligned emperor still holds undiscovered secrets.
Rome, Italy
The Catacombs of San Sebastian
Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.
Rome, Italy
Casina delle Civette
A fairy tale castle in modern Rome.
Rome, Italy
Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.
