This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

A founding document of the European Union was written on an island where Roman emperors once banished women.

A long-buried ancient ruin unearthed right in the middle of the city.

This Italian ski resort rose to fame when Benito Mussolini was held prisoner there and then rescued by the SS.

The remains of an ancient Roman city are hidden underneath Bologna's beautiful public library.

The former home of an Italian artist is now a shrine to his ambitious works.

This former fascist summer camp was abandoned for decades.

A cave in southern Italy adorned with thousand-year-old Biblical frescoes existed in obscurity until fairly recently.

Europe’s oldest natural human mummy.

The skulls and bones of thousands of soldiers line the walls of this small Italian chapel.

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

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

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

A Milanese café entirely designed by the American director Wes Anderson.

This museum is rotten with a century of wax medical deformities.

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

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

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

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

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

Renaissance villa and gardens complete with a tormented colossus.

This subterranean disco dance club in a Cuban cave comes with bright lights and a dark legend.

Years of neglect and nature took a toll on this 19th-century lighthouse.

This former sugarcane transport tunnel is now a portal to a lovely beach.