Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.

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

This private skyway is filled with art and was expanded explicitly so that Hitler could appreciate a river.

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

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

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

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.

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.

The doodles of a genius line the walls of a secret room under the Medici Chapel, where they were hidden for nearly 500 years.

The middle finger of modernity.

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

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

The divine septet of Japanese fortune gods are rendered in 1,000 year old wood at this peaceful site.

Largest graveyard in all of Japan surrounds a famous mausoleum.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese Shrine.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.