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

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

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.

Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely homemade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create.

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

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

According to the local folklore, the myriad colors of this lake are the result of a lovelorn wizard's blunder.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.

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

The middle finger of modernity.

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.

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

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

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

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."

This poignant art installation raises awareness of violence against women.

A space dedicated to contemporary art and culture, co-chaired by fashion icon Miuccia Prada.

Nestled in the heart of Milan is a real wunderkammer of morbid curiosities.

A Milanese café entirely designed by the American director Wes Anderson.