Places Stique Wants to Go

The charred, dead skeleton of an oak tree is said to have consoled a dying 16th-century Italian poet.

The Italian revolutionary's legendary wife is portrayed on horseback waving a gun and holding her child in this memorial on the Janiculum.

Among the busts of heroes of the Roman Republic of 1849, there is also a statue of a boy and his dog.

An oasis of beauty, tranquility and botanical research in the middle of Rome.

A burial vault located under Tiber Island in the middle of the Italian capital.

This is the oldest Roman-made bridge in the city still existing in its original state.

A massive marble foot is tucked away in a small alley near the Pantheon.

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.

This gallery commissioned by Cardinal Spada is known for its magnificent optical illusion.

At the crypt of St. Mary of Eulogies and the Dead you are left alone to ponder mortality among piles of skulls.

The Vatican's secret porn-festooned bathroom was painted in erotic murals by one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.

This equestrian statue of Constantine the Great has been the subject of criticism for centuries.

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

If you want to talk to the Pope you will have to stare down this surreal vision of Jesus rising from a nuclear hell.

An unremarkable wooden wheel built into the side of one of Rome's oldest hospitals was part of a policy to reduce infant exposure.

One of the most important yet well-hidden museums dedicated to the history of medicine.

A stained-glass window from the 15th century offers a vision of the end of the world.

The little-known second castle that William the Conqueror built in York.

Semaphore saints, a golden dragon's head, and a stone carved with religious warnings all call this cathedral home.

This sculpture marks the spot where one of the greatest Roman rulers was proclaimed emperor.

A Reformation-era fiery figurehead once denoted this location as a print shop.

The remains of an ancient bathhouse sit inside this aptly-named pub.

This tiny business claims to be "the smallest pub on the planet."