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

This deconsecrated church has seen many uses, from a tobacco storehouse to a cinema.

An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.

Venice's island of the dead.

Hanging within this medieval church are the bones of a beast allegedly slain by a fourth-century saint.

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

These medieval skyscrapers dominate the skyline of this small Tuscan town.

A dismembered holy head stares out from her beautiful reliquary at the St. Dominic Basilica.

This enchanting 600-year-old tree is so magical it inspired the beloved tale of Pinocchio.

This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.

The naturally mummified body of a peasant girl saint.

Fortified medieval tower house with lovely roof garden.

A remarkably intact castle that once was the largest in Ireland.

A standing relief of a Norman knight whose posture marks him as a Crusader.

The oldest inn in Kilkenny was established by the first convicted witch in Ireland.

The house where the writer spent his formative years.

The enchanting archway is the only surviving portal into Dublin's lost medieval wall.

The gorgeous library at Trinity College is home to remarkable treasures of Irish identity.

A stunning medieval castle owned and restored by the famed actor Jeremy Irons.

This monument to one of the largest science fiction games of all time bears the names of hundreds of thousands of players.

Twisted girders are all that remain of an Icelandic bridge that was wiped out by a combination of volcanic heat and glacial floods.

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.