Italian poet Dante Alighieri is entombed in this small mausoleum in Ravenna, and his hometown of Florence has never been too happy about it.

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

"The prettiest love letters in the world" ... or so said Lord Byron.

An extraordinary collection of 18th century anatomical waxworks.

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

Medieval torture techniques with a modern conscience.

This centuries-old Italian chapel hangs midway down a sheer cliffside.

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

The doodles of a genius line the walls of a secret room under the Medici Chapel, where they were hidden for nearly 500 years.

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

Pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers.

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

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

The largest and most famous wax anatomical collection anywhere in the world.

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

This 16th-century monastery has been turned into a surrealist architecture compound.

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.

The middle finger of modernity.

Renaissance villa and gardens complete with a tormented colossus.

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