Stone memorial that's said to predict the death of the pope and the site of the Cadaver Synod.

Charles Dickens was not a fan of the ghastly wall dressings in this 6th century church.

The first Russian Orthodox church in the Catholic city of Rome in almost a thousand years.

Roman-era ships unearthed...

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.

Gods clash with machines in a power plant regenerated as a museum.

An enigmatic modern marker left next to a historic Roman site.

A modern sliver of architecture in Roma.

The "Greatest Sewer" of ancient Rome is one of the oldest sewer systems in the world, and is still in use.

The martyr's wax-enhanced skeletal remains lie preserved in a glass case in the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

Rome's ancient Etruscan rival, now a park full of ruins.

The Pope’s secret escape route.

More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.

This delightful little museum is dedicated to only one thing: pasta.

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.

An Italian ghost town that fought obscurity, until a mysterious illness brought it to its knees.

This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross not as blasphemy but as saintly tribute.

One of seven Jewish catacombs in Rome and one of only two open to the public.

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.

A hospital where antique dolls are given new life.

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.