A brutalist gem towering over the heart of Milan.

A space dedicated to contemporary art and culture, co-chaired by fashion icon Miuccia Prada.

This curious building hides eclectic details like medieval gargoyles alongside naked angels and Art Nouveau mosaics.

Nestled in the heart of Milan is a real wunderkammer of morbid curiosities.

A Milanese café entirely designed by the American director Wes Anderson.

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

Its interior is adorned with some of the best examples of early Christian mosaics.

A magnificent waterfall is also home to the remains of a Roman hydraulic engineering system.

Also known as the Square Colosseum, this building is a prime example of fascist-era rationalist architecture.

The studio built by fascists in the hopes of "reviving the film industry" with the occasional propaganda film opportunity thrown in.

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."

An antique curios dealer and hybrid taxidermist.

Former hunting lodge of a duke who was an avid collector of impressionist works.

A popular shrine where the Blessed Virgin allegedly appeared in 1830, displaying a holy armchair and two incorruptible remains of Lady Saints.

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

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

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

A surrealist timepiece by the artist of melting clocks.

A favorite Paris bar for U.S. expats, including Gershwin, Hemingway, and James Bond.

A scandalous Art Nouveau collaboration that set Paris all atwitter at the turn of the century.

A haunting collection of the vanished and disappearing natural world.

The very center of Paris is surrounded by a bevy of strange good luck rituals.

This charming cobbled backstreet is the most Instagramable street in Paris, much to the residents' annoyance.

This massive library holds what was once the largest book collection in the world.