Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.

A Nesting Doll of Churches.

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

Architectural monsters are devouring this palace's every door and window.

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

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.

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

This hidden Art Nouveau courtyard is an opulent feast for the eyes.

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."

A domed disco abandoned since the '70s now attracts artists and explorers under its unique roof.

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.

A lover's walk between hilltop towns, decorated with graffiti love notes.

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

Southern Italy's spinning top village.

A magnificent waterfall is also home to the remains of a Roman hydraulic engineering system.

Rome's ancient Etruscan rival, now a park full of ruins.

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

The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.

Gigantic mosaic sculptures of the figures on Tarot cards fill this colorful Tuscan garden.

Walk through a fairytale in Tuscany.

Two very green residential towers cleaning the air in one of Europe's most polluted cities.

A modern sliver of architecture in Roma.