Romans decided this 16th-century "talking statue" was so ugly, they named it after a primate.

This small, ancient Roman temple was once a church dedicated to the patron saint of penitents.

A burial vault located under Tiber Island in the middle of the Italian capital.

This ancient trail climbs the mountain where a Latin League cult worshipped Jupiter, its main deity.

The ruins of the largest gladiatorial school in Rome are largely hidden under modern streets.

Gods clash with machines in a power plant regenerated as a museum.

This historic recreationist school churns out warriors that may very well have had a fighting chance in Rome's pits of the day.

Rome's ancient Etruscan rival, now a park full of ruins.

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

A modern sliver of architecture in Roma.

The "Greatest Sewer" of ancient Rome is one of the oldest sewer systems in the world, and is still in use.

An Italian ghost town that fought obscurity, until a mysterious illness brought it to its knees.

A magnificent waterfall is also home to the remains of a Roman hydraulic engineering system.

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

Brass cobblestones mark the places where individual Holocaust victims were taken from their homes.

A huge enchanting public park just outside the ancient walls of Rome.

The spot where the fascist dictator made some of his most famous speeches including declaring war on Britain and France.

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

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

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

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

Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.

This beautiful park on the outskirts of Rome protects the ruins of two colossal ancient aqueducts.

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