Palermo, Italy
Capuchin Monastery Catacombs
Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Palermo, Italy
Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.
Sciacca, Italy
A madman's personal garden filled with 1,000 sculpted heads.
Palermo, Italy
This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.
Messina, Italy
An eccentric home in Sicily turns heads on a regular basis.
Monreale, Italy
Abandoned village in Sicily built during the agricultural reforms of Mussolini.
Palermo, Italy
Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.
Palermo, Italy
Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.
Córdoba, Spain
Spain's unique Mosque-Cathedral has been a place of worship for both Muslims and Christians throughout its history.
Malaga, Spain
Bold black and white motifs of life and death add a dramatic flair to this 17th-century crypt.
Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain
A Spanish town built into the cliffs.
Seville, Spain
An eerie collection of the surviving structures from a past celebration of the future.
Seville, Spain
The final resting place of the great navigator, or maybe his brother.
Seville, Spain
The world's largest wooden structure.
Riola, Italy
Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.
Verona, Italy
A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.
Verona, Italy
Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.
Ercolano, Italy
Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.
Naples, Italy
Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.
Vatican City
Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.
Rome, Italy
This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.
Rome, Italy
The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.
Rome, Italy
The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.
Rome, Italy
The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.
Rome, Italy
This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross not as blasphemy but as saintly tribute.