Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

These "anatomical machines" are only one of the many strange items in this Italian crypt.

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.

Erotic art covers the walls of the largest ancient pleasure palace.

A beautifully well-preserved ancient Roman villa.

The oldest volcanology research center in the world.

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.

An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.

This abandoned island off the Venetian coast has been a radical monastery, a political prison, and a secret Nazi base.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

As can be expected from a centuries old church built in a canal city, the undercroft of this house of worship is beautifully flooded.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

A small island less than half a mile from Venice is a forbidden island with a dark and twisted past.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.