Tourists to the mountaintop Sicilian town often overlook its ancient fortifications.

The tomb of the mythological founder of Padua is not hidden in some obscure crypt, but stands right in the middle of the city square.

The oldest church in Mantua was buried for centuries under the facades of other structures.

The city of Parma's cathedral is home to one of the greatest illusionistic frescoes of the Renaissance.

Destroyed numerous times, this centuries-old bridge has always been rebuilt with its original design.

The people of Padua pledged to construct this church if the city was spared from destruction during World War I.

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

This medieval castle was home to a known tyrant and features several hidden passages.

This old medieval prison tower has been a site of astronomical research for more than 250 years.

A single column facing the sea is all that's left of one of the most important temples of Magna Graecia.

A long-buried ancient ruin unearthed right in the middle of the city.

An 18th century fountain and two columns are all that remains of Rome's forgotten river harbor.

A medieval, mosaic-lined baptistry built by a heretical Christian sect.

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung reported a paranormal experience after visiting this mosaic-lined Roman baptistry.

An incredible mosaic-lined monument said to have held the remains of an ancient Roman empress.

The roof of this ancient mausoleum is made from a single Istrian stone weighing a massive 230 tons.

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

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.

One Italian taxi driver covered his entire house in small seashells creating a weird bit of architecture that is preserved to this day.

Some say this medieval church is where the poet Dante married his wife and also met the love of his life.

This ultra-modern burial building would have stacked the dead like a giant filing cabinet.

The oldest volcanology research center in the world.