A rather vulgar example of the transition from Latin to the Italian vernacular.

This Italian pyramid is said to hold the mingled remains of the dead from both sides of the Battle of Novara.

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

This skeletal, unfinished Gothic church once housed a miraculous masterpiece by Raphael.

This cliff-face port is considered a masterpiece of mining engineering.

An unsettling painting of three faceless sisters that is surrounded by history and legend.

In Florence's great Duomo, a 26 foot fresco honors a mercenary famous for attacking Florence.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient Roman religious cult contains an exquisite traditional fresco.

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.

Once known for its horse-powered knife sharpening, this 200-year-old shop offers an array of blades and hard-to-find culinary tools.

More than 450 years ago, an Italian nun became the first woman to paint the iconic subject.

Romans decided this 16th-century "talking statue" was so ugly, they named it after a primate.

These pools have been abandoned for over 20 years.

The Bourbon royal family had this unique octagonal hunting "cottage" built on a tiny islet in Lake Fusaro.

This scenic fortress dates back at least 2,400 years to the time of Magna Graecia.

A fascist-era rural village abandoned since the early 1980s.

Remnants of cone-shaped fascist bomb shelters in Milan.

This large, circular tomb is the final resting place of the first emperor of Rome.

This ancient Roman arch misled treasure hunters for centuries.

A dead saint, a deadly poison, and a mysterious holy ooze.

This ancient walled garden turns fog into food.

Stare out over the lagoon and beyond from this 10th-century campanile on the island where the city of Venice began.

The “Sistine Chapel” of the Middle Ages merges 11th-century science and religion in wondrous hues.

An abandoned quarry hides an open-air gallery of huge sculptures, some made from the rubble of 9/11.