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

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

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.

A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.

At the crypt of St. Mary of Eulogies and the Dead you are left alone to ponder mortality among piles of skulls.

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.

An alchemist's "magic door" stands in the middle of a Roman park.

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

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

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

The mummified relic of St. Antoninus.

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

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

This imposing memorial contains the remains of Che Guevara — and 29 other guerrillas who died with him in Bolivia.

Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.

Construction of Barcelona's iconic (but controversial) church is expected to be completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.

One of Antoni Gaudí's most classic buildings is well-known for its "dragon-back" design.

The anatomical-pathological collection of a man who changed surgery.

A cluttered and astounding collection of antiquities and curiosities.

A nuclear power plant abandoned along with an international allegience.