The Emperor Tiberius' palace of debauchery.

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

The Pope’s secret escape route.

This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross not as blasphemy but as saintly tribute.

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.

One of seven Jewish catacombs in Rome and one of only two open to the public.

More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.

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

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

The world's most active stratovolcano is almost always erupting.

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.

Secret refuge and museum of the Duke of Florence.

A volcanic old faithful, Stromboli has been erupting continuously for the last 2000 years.

These medieval skyscrapers dominate the skyline of this small Tuscan town.

The engineering wonder and pleasure dome of a much-maligned emperor still holds undiscovered secrets.

This former Roman Catholic Church still contains the embalmed hearts and organs of 22 popes.

A Nesting Doll of Churches.

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.

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

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.