A sinister pyramid in the Frari contains the heart of the famous neoclassical sculptor.

Italy's third-largest Roman arena gives a peek into the underground operations beneath the ancient spectacles.

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.

A mushroom-shaped outcropping that has come to be the symbol for an entire town.

A medieval wash house where people washed clothes in a river allegedly formed by the tears of a mourning nymph.

Climb the dead electric pylons of Messina.

This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.

Ever loyal to Roma, the small village of Albe in the Abruzzo region carried on until an earthquake did it in.

A treasure trove of Renaissance-era funerary art in a Roman church built on top of Nero's grave.

The marble facade hides a little-known medical museum with early surgical instruments and rare copies of canonical texts.

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.

One of Catholicism's four major basilicas has a series of papal portraits that are said to predict the end of the world.

This Arabesque Italian castle was built with a primitive, if ingenious, air-conditioning system.

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.

In a city that boasts four separate inclined cable railways, this is one of the busiest funicular lines in the world.

The small peaceful island off the Venice tourist circuit is where the city began more than 1,500 years ago.

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.

Beautiful views and Roman-style statues on the Italian coast.

The naturally mummified body of a peasant girl saint.

The Emperor Tiberius' palace of debauchery.

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.

Built to repay the sins of the father, this church is home to one of the most valuable works of Western art.

Fortified medieval tower house with lovely roof garden.