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

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

A slightly creepy gallery of plaster cast models in the same museum as Michelangelo's David.

A medieval weapon rumored to have been used by the brilliant poet himself.

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

The middle finger of modernity.

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.

An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.

A sinister pyramid in the Frari contains the heart of the famous neoclassical sculptor.

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

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

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

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

The world is full of swimming holes, but few compare to Samoa’s idyllic To Sua ocean trench.

A site of natural wonder and flying coconuts in Samoa.

Marvel of green building techniques that sings with the wind.

Legend has it this fountain built to symbolize the Pope’s power hides a strange secret concerning Neptune's manliness.

In the world's oldest university is a stunning 17th century anatomical theater carved from spruce.

Over 100 towers were built in Bologna during the Middle Ages, but only 22 survive.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

Italian cave with exceptional acoustics and an unsavory history.

This amazingly well-preserved villa just outside Pompeii boasts rare examples of ancient Roman paintings.