The 1,000-year-old abbey is the birthplace of modern musical notation.

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.

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

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.

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

What looks like a link in Gondor's early warning system is actually a centuries-old Italian fortress.

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

A cave in southern Italy adorned with thousand-year-old Biblical frescoes existed in obscurity until fairly recently.

Fortified medieval tower house with lovely roof garden.

These gutted monastery ruins still stand proudly in the middle of the Italian countryside.

A sulfuric hellscape in southern Italy.

A lover's walk between hilltop towns, decorated with graffiti love notes.

Europe’s oldest natural human mummy.

The bomb-ravaged remains of of a colossal Neptune.

This bronze boar's snout has been rubbed to a golden sheen by visitors seeking good fortune.

These medieval skyscrapers dominate the skyline of this small Tuscan town.

"Stairs of the Turks", a chalky white cliff eroded conveniently into stairs, allowing for easy pillaging.

Romans built the world's tallest artificial waterfall in 271 BC.

A fairytale island floats in the middle of Italy's little-known Lake Orta.

This picturesque Umbrian city has a subterranean side that has long remained hidden.

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

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

Medieval town turned hippie commune, once home to the secret foreskin of Jesus Christ.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.