A complex, nine-layer maze on the grounds of a Venetian doge's playground.

David Sedaris called it "The greatest shop in the world."

These "anatomical machines" are only one of the many strange items in this Italian crypt.

Natural cathedral designed by Italian artist Giuliano Mauri.

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.

The abandoned "Ghost Mansion" was left to decay in the mountains of Northern Italy.

A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.

Abandoned medieval hill town.

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

Ruins of a 10th century church tucked away deep in a botanical garden.

This 16th-century monastery has been turned into a surrealist architecture compound.

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

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

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

An Italian hillside ghost town.

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

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

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.

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

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.

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

At the crypt of St. Mary of Eulogies and the Dead you are left alone to ponder mortality among piles of skulls.