William Smith's iconic "map that changed the world" is hidden behind a curtain in the Geological Society building.

This pub was 238 years old when it decided to revamp its image: It started serving Thai food.

Used as an example in one of the first dictionary entries for "museum" in 1706.

This centuries-old pub boasts a collection of more than 4,500 snippets of neckties from around the world.

A theatre built to house the rowdy Oxford graduation ceremonies became the stage for a debate about God's existence.

The pockmarks across the building's facade are remnants of the Blitz.

These mysterious Viking chess pieces spent centuries hidden on a remote Scottish island.

This one has sailed five times as far as Sir Francis Drake's famous ship.

A statue marks the exact spot where The Boy Who Never Grows Up made his first literary appearance.

This massive collection of British military artifacts includes the heartbreaking personal letters of the men in the trenches of WWI.

The perfectly preserved underground rooms where Churchill plotted the war against Germany.

A moving memorial to the fallen and missing from WWI trenches.

This memorial museum chronicles the apocalyptic destruction of the First World War.

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

Breathtaking and huge 430 year old maps of Italy.

These hut foundations are believed to be the residence of Romulus, founder of Rome.

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

The only remaining arch of the oldest stone bridge in Rome stands in the middle of the Tiber.

This curious, round temple is the oldest still-standing marble building in Rome.

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

An ancient Roman temple first dedicated to an emperor's wife is now a church.

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

This ancient market is often referred to as the oldest shopping mall in the world.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.