A rather vulgar example of the transition from Latin to the Italian vernacular.

Once known for its horse-powered knife sharpening, this 200-year-old shop offers an array of blades and hard-to-find culinary tools.

While most books are made of wood, these wooden books are truly made of, and all about wood.

A 2,000-year-old engineering wonder hides beneath an Italian town.

Deceased nuns were placed on stone chairs to decompose, while the surviving nuns prayed near the lifeless bodies.

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

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.

This 6th-century church has the largest and best-preserved collection of Byzantine mosaics outside Constantinople.

A military museum, art park, mausoleum, and architectural oddity all on one fascist's estate.

This church carved into the rocks is full of enchanting stone statues.

The titular "little arch" near this Italian resort is one of the most popular diving spots in the country.

An unusual house built using an iso-elastic membrane.

A beautiful discovery site of prehistoric burials.

This elaborate hole in the ground was built as a sacred site for an ancient civilization.

This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.

An abandoned 17th-century baroque hunting lodge with a wonderfully strange architectural plan.

This splendid mosaic embodies ancient Rome's fascination with the exotic allure of Egypt.

The second-highest village in Lazio has attracted artists for 400 years and is now a spectacular open-air art gallery.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient Roman religious cult contains an exquisite traditional fresco.

The Roman Emperor's lost summer home and grotto full of enormous sculptures sit along the Italian seashore.

Ever loyal to Roma, the small village of Albe in the Abruzzo region carried on until an earthquake did it in.

This serene, turquoise lake in an extraordinary nature reserve showcases a rare natural phenomenon.

A sudden, striking cluster of hills south of Padua has been attracting visitors for centuries.

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