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

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.

Contains some of the world's more disturbing wax anatomical models.

This quaint Italian town keeps losing ground as the sides of its plateau slowly erode.

This picturesque Umbrian city has a subterranean side that has long remained hidden.

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.

Medieval town turned hippie commune, once home to the secret foreskin of Jesus Christ.

Caligula's colossal pleasure ships, discovered by Mussolini only to be lost in flames.

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

The studio built by fascists in the hopes of "reviving the film industry" with the occasional propaganda film opportunity thrown in.

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.

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

More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.

A Nesting Doll of Churches.

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.

This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

Architectural monsters are devouring this palace's every door and window.

An alchemist's "magic door" stands in the middle of a Roman park.