When the imprisoned pope's remains were finally returned to the Vatican, his heart stayed behind in France.

A medieval church built into an ancient cave.

This 5,000-year-old tomb once had its own hinged door.

This symbol of the French Revolution still stands where it was first planted during the 18th-century.

The castle where the Marquis de Sade lived out his darkest fantasies.

This hidden garden boasts amazing views of Lyon.

Inside this museum, Christians were imprisoned when the Romans controlled Gaul.

This unusual piece of Renaissance art depicting the bodily horror of crucifixion and skin disease may have been inspired by fungus-induced hallucinations.

A quarry cum sculpture park where the works of art are chiseled into the very walls.

A 13th century fortified house built to defend the Duchy of Burgundy.

A sandstone block marks the alleged spot where the legendary writer was conceived.

Abandoned outpost once home to a murderous tyrant.

A snowy highland notorious for unexplained aircraft crashes is France's own Bermuda Triangle.

This remarkable checkered church on a Corsican hilltop is fabled to have been built by angels.

This prehistoric figurine is the oldest known realistic depiction of a human face.

A medieval house adorned with enigmatic carvings, including one of a man displaying his masculine attributes.

The bizarre home and sculpture garden of an eccentric artist.

This tiny cafe is one of the last meeting places of its kind, allowing revolutionaries a place to plot.

On this romantic tidal island reachable only at low tide the tomb of a famous French writer overlooks the sea.

Grottoes, sculptures, and recycled ceramics permeate what was once just a small farm in France.

Immortalized by artists, this church incorporates a medieval lighthouse into its shoreside structure.

A gothic church dedicated to the love of wine.

France's highest manned weather station is the only one still inhabited by meteorologists.

An atmospheric, medieval-themed book store hides in a 13th-century underground space.