Some people believe that this makeshift space monitoring station received transmissions from clandestine cosmonauts.

This caldera was once associated with the Etruscan god of the underworld.

This splendid mosaic embodies ancient Rome's fascination with the exotic allure of Egypt.

One of the four sanctuaries of Rieti's Holy Valley was the site of the first living nativity scene.

This statue of the legendary Austrian composer is hidden in the center of an Italian town.

This seventh-century fortification marked the western border of the Lombard duchy of Spoleto.

Once home to one of the oldest banks in the world, this building is also where Marco Polo's famous travelogue was written.

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.

What appears to be an ancient Roman temple is actually a Catholic church.

In medieval times this small stone seat was used as a bizarre way to punish insolvent debtors.

An 18th-century post box used to alert the church of sick and ailing foreign pilgrims.

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

A deep mark on the remains of a Roman temple, believed to be left by a legendary warrior.

A beloved local artist has been honored with this statue of a man emerging from a toilet.

A medieval wash house where people washed clothes in a river allegedly formed by the tears of a mourning nymph.

A lonesome Moai stands in a small Italian town some 9,000 miles away from its Easter Island brethren.

This peculiar Italian elevator runs both horizontally and vertically.

A medieval Italian village is fighting depopulation with this vibrant annual street art festival.

A narrow opening between the mountains of the Amalfi Coast creates a scenic hidden beach.

This 21st century cabinet of curiosities includes dinosaur bones, moon rocks, film memorabilia, and more.

This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon.

During World War II, this rice mill became a Nazi concentration camp.

This medieval hilltop village was abandoned at the end of the 19th century, after existing for more than 500 years.

An eerie, little-known Neapolitan museum filled with preserved human remains.