A tree that defies gravity grows in an ancient ruin.

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

Dug as a secret royal escape route, the tunnel became a wartime bomb shelter and dumping ground for vintage cars.

The bomb-ravaged remains of of a colossal Neptune.

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

Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.

Filled with goldfish swimming in a shallow pool of sea water, this ancient crypt is more wishing well than burial site.

Giant, pink stuffed rabbit on an Italian mountain.

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

David Sedaris called it "The greatest shop in the world."

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

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

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.