One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.

Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.

An abandoned shopping gallery built during Fascist Italy tucked in the center of Palermo.

A study of Fascist era Art Deco design in Italy.

Haunting graffiti left by prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition.

Filled with goldfish swimming in a shallow pool of sea water, this ancient crypt is more wishing well than burial site.

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

This strange bovine gargoyle is said to have been put in as a passive aggressive form of revenge.

In Florence's great Duomo, a 26 foot fresco honors a mercenary famous for attacking Florence.

The graveyard is filled with beautiful funerary art and boasts breathtaking views of Florence.

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.

This bronze boar's snout has been rubbed to a golden sheen by visitors seeking good fortune.

Many famous English poets including Elizabeth Barrett Browning are laid to rest at this Swiss-owned cemetery in Florence.

Some say this medieval church is where the poet Dante married his wife and also met the love of his life.

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.

A medieval weapon rumored to have been used by the brilliant poet himself.

Gargantuan home of Russian science.

Stalinist skyscraper built with help of cryotechnology.

The tallest hotel in Europe.

Moscow's most popular cemetery includes the graves of numerous cosmonauts.

Former headquarters of the KGB.

The gorgeous entrances into the city's underbelly look more like grand halls than subway stops.

This building holds the embalmed remains of the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution.