This small Roman arch was transformed into a dwelling by the founder of the Trinitarian Order.

The former home of an Italian artist is now a shrine to his ambitious works.

An island on the Venetian Lagoon hosts this stone chair that has nothing to do with the King of the Huns.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

Where the high court feasted, frolicked, and high courtesans put their royal lovers' diamonds to the test.

This frog-themed restaurant was frequented by Picasso, Saint-Exupéry, and more.

Natural history museum celebrating biodiversity with a parade of taxidermy animals.

An off-the-beaten-path boutique stuffed with an eclectic collection of upcycled goods.

A grotto-like lodge decorated with gilded mosaics, rocks and a noisy waterfall was the setting for the most sumptuous pleasure house of 1900s Europe.

Paris' fabled purveyor of exotic taxidermy and natural history curios.

Known as the "Dodo Manège," this carousel features a herd of animals that have disappeared—or may be gone soon.

A museum on the history of Paris, including a set of Napoleon's toiletries, Proust's room, and relics of the Revolution.

The ruins of a Duke's bucolic dream, where camels once roamed alongside "Dutch" windmills and faux-Italian vineyards.

Egyptian Revival movie palace abandoned for decades and restored in 2013.

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

Once known as one of the finest tourist railways in Europe.

A rare, flower-shaped example of Brutalist architecture in Switzerland.

A fortified palace in the shape of a ship on the Thiou river.

Explore the art and history of intricate, hand-crafted tile designs at this small museum.

These quaint French houses dangle precariously over a precipice.

An interactive museum and restaurant devoted to a prestigious breed of cattle.

This whimsical castle of grottoes was the labor of love of a French postman, and one of the greatest achievements of outsider architecture.

One of the greatest maze designer’s greatest mazes.

The fantastic architectural models of a French traveler.