A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.

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

Renaissance villa and gardens complete with a tormented colossus.

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

This breathtaking monastery was established by Saint Benedict himself 1,500 years ago.

A town saturated in Italian rationalist architecture was once marshland drained by Mussolini.

The Roman Emperor's lost summer home and grotto full of enormous sculptures sit along the Italian seashore.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient Roman religious cult contains an exquisite traditional fresco.

This medieval Italian town is a sheer (and beautiful) cliffside defense.

Virgil's many-mouthed gateway to the underworld.

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

The burial place of an obscure North African saint was turned into a macabre body preservation factory for the 17th-century Neapolitan elite.

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

The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead still cares for the skulls at this mini-Fontanelle.

A sulfuric hellscape in southern Italy.

Italy's third-largest Roman arena gives a peek into the underground operations beneath the ancient spectacles.

A submerged archeological park still holds the wonders of a Roman Sodom.

The Bourbon royal family had this unique octagonal hunting "cottage" built on a tiny islet in Lake Fusaro.

This magical-looking island is notorious for the misfortunes suffered by its owners.

Buried next to Pompeii, this lesser-known Roman villa was the opulent vacation home of Emperor Nero's wife.

A beautifully well-preserved ancient Roman villa.

Beautiful views and Roman-style statues on the Italian coast.

The Emperor Tiberius' palace of debauchery.

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.