Only known mainland rookery of the threatened Stellar sea lion.

This café is dedicated to serving coffee roasted by Native American-owned companies.

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

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

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

The largest and most famous wax anatomical collection anywhere in the world.

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

This quaint Italian town keeps losing ground as the sides of its plateau slowly erode.

A fairy tale castle in modern Rome.

Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely homemade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create.

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.

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

The engineering wonder and pleasure dome of a much-maligned emperor still holds undiscovered secrets.

As can be expected from a centuries old church built in a canal city, the undercroft of this house of worship is beautifully flooded.

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.

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

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.