Venice's "Island of the Mad."

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

A formerly opulent Italian village is now a crumbling ghost town that no one really knows what to do with.

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

A dilapidated psychiatric facility on the outskirts of Milan where electroconvulsive therapy was developed and Napoleon once lived.

An ancient artistic garden parlor full of hidden water wonders.

Eco-village hidden in the foothills of the Alps that created a massive system of psychedelic underground temples.

The odd depiction of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus is rooted in the Catholic Church's eradication of Catharism.

Before there were doorbells this bronze ear was installed for visitors to announce their arrival.

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

Massive galleon from a box-office bomb docked in Genoa.

A stunning cemetery famous for its extraordinarily delicate & lifelike mourning sculptures.

Machismo turned on its head: the lady's hand goes to the dude with the bigger brain.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

Built to repay the sins of the father, this church is home to one of the most valuable works of Western art.

An Italian vineyard invites religious pilgrims to stop by 24/7 to get their drink on, for free.

A rambling museum which honors the beauty in everyday objects.

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

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

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

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