A small island in Lake Garda that was used as a burial site, pirate hideout, and a monastery.

On the shores of Lake Garda, the ruins of a Roman villa that allegedly belonged to the poet Catullus.

One of the most well-preserved castles in Italy also contains a rare medieval example of a port fortification.

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

One of the tallest lighthouses in the world also serves as a monument to the fallen of World War I.

This historic floating crane became an unlikely symbol of the port of Trieste.

The naturally mummified body of a peasant girl saint.

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

First founded in 1472, this is the oldest bank in the world. Its history may explain why we call financial institutions "banks."

A dismembered holy head stares out from her beautiful reliquary at the St. Dominic Basilica.

An image of two murdered magistrates became iconic and is reproduced in metal as a memorial on the Civitavecchia sea front.

The famous sculptor had a hand in this imposing fortress.

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.

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

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

An unusual sculpture with a meaning shrouded in mystery.

Legend has it that any woman who kissed this statue would soon be married.

The roof of this ancient mausoleum is made from a single Istrian stone weighing a massive 230 tons.

A medieval, mosaic-lined baptistry built by a heretical Christian sect.

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung reported a paranormal experience after visiting this mosaic-lined Roman baptistry.

An incredible mosaic-lined monument said to have held the remains of an ancient Roman empress.

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.

Italian poet Dante Alighieri is entombed in this small mausoleum in Ravenna, and his hometown of Florence has never been too happy about it.

Fortified medieval tower house with lovely roof garden.