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

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

A labyrinth of ancient tunnels hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.

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

Vast network of air raid tunnels beneath Lombardy's capital.

The odd depiction of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus is rooted in the Catholic Church's eradication of Catharism.

Before there were doorbells this bronze ear was installed for visitors to announce their arrival.

Small on the outside, big on the inside, this church is an astonishing act of visual deception.

"The prettiest love letters in the world" ... or so said Lord Byron.

Milan's duomo is covered in beautiful carving including a curious "dinosaur-like" beast.

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

Long-abandoned art nouveau baths beneath Milan's Piazza Oberdan.

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

In the past, Renaissance sex workers were encouraged to entice customers on this bridge.

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.

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

Memorials at a Florence railway station remember the citizens who were deported from Italy and sent to extermination camps.

Overlooked amid the tourist bustle of Florence, this museum is dedicated to the craft of stone inlay.

The largest and most famous wax anatomical collection anywhere in the world.

The famous sculptor left his mark on this Italian wall in an internationally protected example of street art.

The middle finger of modernity.

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

Remnants of a 4th-century church with vivid medieval frescoes and ancient sarcophagi hide beneath this old basilica.

Inside this McDonald's you can dine on your Big Mac and fries next to a 2,500-year-old Roman wall.