~Italy Roadtrip w/ V~

An Italian crevasse filled with abandoned buildings gives visitors a look at the world without humans.

A submerged archeological park still holds the wonders of a Roman Sodom.

A small island less than half a mile from Venice is a forbidden island with a dark and twisted past.

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

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

The middle finger of modernity.

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

Natural cathedral designed by Italian artist Giuliano Mauri.

This sword isn't waiting for a king to pull it out. It was placed there by a saint.

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

Giant, pink stuffed rabbit on an Italian mountain.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

This domed temple was built in a hidden cave mouth as a refuge for sinners seeking absolution.

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

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

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

A sunken idol welcomes parishioners to Davy Jones' Locker.

Walk through a fairytale in Tuscany.

A fairytale island floats in the middle of Italy's little-known Lake Orta.

Eco-village hidden in the foothills of the Alps that created a massive system of psychedelic underground temples.

Dramatic sea stacks adorn the coast of this small village on the Adriatic coast.

A lover's walk between hilltop towns, decorated with graffiti love notes.

Crushed coral and crystals give the sand its signature coloration.

A domed disco abandoned since the '70s now attracts artists and explorers under its unique roof.

An Italian geologic wonder that served as the inspiration for the landscape of Dante's hell.

The world's oldest surviving anatomical theater, where "the dead are pleased to help the living."

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

This entire town moved to a safe location after it was devastated by an earthquake, but the remains of the original town are still around.

A gorgeous medieval library where the books are kept in chains.

Beautiful views and Roman-style statues on the Italian coast.

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

A factory director designed what was the world's longest suspension footbridge in 1923 so his employees could get to work safely.

Fountain where visitors can earn a license to be mad.

The forbidden island of the Tuscan Archipelago may still contain buried treasure.

The oldest botanical garden in the world that technically isn't the oldest.

Stumbling upon this whimsical wooded garden is like stepping into an enchanted forest full of philosophical musings.

The world's first underwater farm is home to more than 700 plants.

An exclusive waiting room built for the royal family in the 1920s is hidden in Milan’s central station.

Windblown rock formations in an ancient Roman quarry.

A medieval weapon rumored to have been used by the brilliant poet himself.

The 1,000-year-old abbey is the birthplace of modern musical notation.

This ultra-modern burial building would have stacked the dead like a giant filing cabinet.

A beautiful discovery site of prehistoric burials.

A massive natural rock arch gives the Tuscan mountain its own window to the sky.

A map of Italy made entirely of trees.

This 18th-century dissection theater's frescoes display a gorgeous tension between the terrestrial and esoteric.

Centuries ago, red and white wine poured from the statue's breasts whenever a new Venetian ruler was elected.

These four fountains are said to have healing properties, with a glass of the 'miracle' water being given to Louis XII of France.