The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.

This black church sits alone among a field of lava rock.

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.

A formerly glacier-tipped volcano that inspired none other than Jules Verne.

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

This wrecked airplane has been sitting on a black sand beach since the 1970s.

Three columns of volcanic rock shoot out of the ocean.

This elegant arc of a waterfall marks a religious turning point.

This eye-popping Icelandic crater lake is surrounded by red volcanic rock.

Iceland's largest lagoon is home to stunning multi-colored icebergs.

One of the tallest buildings in Iceland, and perhaps, the most visually impressive.

This fantastical waterfall is hidden in a cave located in a cracked cliff.

Medicinal spa created with the discharge from a geothermal energy plant.

The unique waterfall in Iceland's south features a backdrop of geometric black lava columns.

Two very green residential towers cleaning the air in one of Europe's most polluted cities.

Massive galleon from a box-office bomb docked in Genoa.

A stunning cemetery famous for its extraordinarily delicate & lifelike mourning sculptures.

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

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

This Italian stadium makes liberal use of fascist statuary to evoke classical sporting arenas.

A modern sliver of architecture in Roma.

The world's oldest known salt mine.

An extraordinary "City of Caves" carved from solid stone.