The pile of books behind the dignified writer gave the statue a most undignified nickname.

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

A large statue of Pope Gregory XIII in Bologna was disguised as Saint Petronius to avoid destruction.

This building features dozens of faces along its facade, although one is a bit chilling.

Stuck in the arcade of Casa Isolani are three arrows of mysterious origins.

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

Memorials at a Florence railway station remember the citizens who were deported from Italy and sent to extermination camps.

Drink wine handed out through a window as part of an age-old tradition.

A striking memorial recalls thousands of Bolognese men and women killed fighting fascists in World War II.

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

Legend has it this fountain built to symbolize the Pope’s power hides a strange secret concerning Neptune's manliness.

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

Over 100 towers were built in Bologna during the Middle Ages, but only 22 survive.

A small window on Via Piella offers a lovely and rare peek at Bologna's lost canals.

Time has been frozen at this station since the bombing in 1980—or so it was believed.

The only visible reminders of an elaborate engineering project that kept the tower from reaching the tipping point.

The first botanical garden, a feather in the cap of the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

A local student's chance encounter with Keith Haring led to the creation of one of Europe's largest murals.

This strange bovine gargoyle is said to have been put in as a passive aggressive form of revenge.

Legend says this mysterious stone head belongs to a woman who was petrified by an alchemist.

The famous sculptor left his mark on this Italian wall in an internationally protected example of street art.

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.

This bronze boar's snout has been rubbed to a golden sheen by visitors seeking good fortune.

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.