Dug as a secret royal escape route, the tunnel became a wartime bomb shelter and dumping ground for vintage cars.

"Stairs of the Turks", a chalky white cliff eroded conveniently into stairs, allowing for easy pillaging.

The Sighignola summit on the Swiss border offers views so breathtaking it's been named one of the most beautiful places in Italy.

Bell tower juts out from a village buried under a lake.

This delightful little museum is dedicated to only one thing: pasta.

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

One of the world’s smallest bars, just 13 square feet, is brimming with speakeasy flair.

Crushed coral and crystals give the sand its signature coloration.

This Tuscan lake hides a 13th century town that is still visible when the water recedes.

Walk through a fairytale in Tuscany.

This half-finished "city of toys" was almost Italy's own Las Vegas.

A fairytale island floats in the middle of Italy's little-known Lake Orta.

A sunken idol welcomes parishioners to Davy Jones' Locker.

A hospital where antique dolls are given new life.

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.

A labyrinth of ancient tunnels hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.

A complex, nine-layer maze on the grounds of a Venetian doge's playground.

This enchanting 600-year-old tree is so magical it inspired the beloved tale of Pinocchio.

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

Abandoned medieval hill town.

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

Ruins of a 10th century church tucked away deep in a botanical garden.

An Italian hillside ghost town.

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