This medieval settlement was abandoned after a series of landslides. What remained was largely destroyed during a mock battle for a WWII film reel.

The hermit's humble home is hidden near the forested peak of Monte Marrone.

This medieval Italian town is a sheer (and beautiful) cliffside defense.

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

This magical-looking island is notorious for the misfortunes suffered by its owners.

This site marks the oldest known settlement in Campania, inhabited around 9,000 years ago.

Geometry and mystery come together in an epic show of octagonal masonry.

The sunlight passing through the opening of this huge cave system creates a magical effect.

A fascist-era rural village abandoned since the early 1980s.

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

An impressive bridge over a ravine also served as an aqueduct.

People have been living in the cave houses on this Italian hillside since the Neolithic era.

For decades, vendors have sold clothes once worn by American soldiers who stormed Italy in the 1940s.

This amazingly well-preserved villa just outside Pompeii boasts rare examples of ancient Roman paintings.

Erotic art covers the walls of the largest ancient pleasure palace.

Buried next to Pompeii, this lesser-known Roman villa was the opulent vacation home of Emperor Nero's wife.

This tiny islet has somehow housed an ancient temple, two monasteries, a church, a fortress, and a restaurant.

This clifftop arch is a natural stunner.

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

Amalfi's pre-industrial history is slowly being engulfed by the lush vegetation of the Ferriere Valley.

A narrow opening between the mountains of the Amalfi Coast creates a scenic hidden beach.

Also known as the Temple of Poseidon, this is one of the best-preserved Greek temples in the world.

This medieval hilltop village was abandoned at the end of the 19th century, after existing for more than 500 years.

This small but lovely sinkhole lake is the last remnant of a great prehistoric water basin.