This breathtaking monastery was established by Saint Benedict himself 1,500 years ago.

A fascinating assortment of cave dwellings, medieval ruins, and sarcophagi are being devoured by the forest.

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

The world's largest bamboo labyrinth is a living demonstration of the plant’s immense potential.

Naturally preserved bodies are eerily staged throughout the crypt in varying poses.

An unusual "skull with ears" sits in the crypt of this small church tucked away at the end of a narrow alley.

Romans decided this 16th-century "talking statue" was so ugly, they named it after a primate.

A spiritual sanctuary in a natural cave.

This grisly effigy displays an early Christian martyr who was skinned alive and beheaded.

A fortified medieval basilica on the Caelian Hill preserves extraordinary frescoes and one of Rome's most beautiful hidden cloisters.

A lavish 16th-century mansion filled with spectacular staircases, fantastic frescoes, and gorgeous gardens.

Memorials at a Florence railway station remember the citizens who were deported from Italy and sent to extermination camps.

A massive marble foot is tucked away in a small alley near the Pantheon.

Stumbling upon this whimsical wooded garden is like stepping into an enchanted forest full of philosophical musings.

An eerie, little-known Neapolitan museum filled with preserved human remains.

This Roman statue is missing a limb from when the Venetians stole it from Constantinople during the Crusades.

Artistic tombs, monuments, and a beautiful "Hall of Fame" lurk inside this cemetery.

Rome's first modern graffito is all that is left of a peaceful protest from the 1970s.

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.

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

In a city that boasts four separate inclined cable railways, this is one of the busiest funicular lines in the world.

A stunning bridge that appears as if it's lunging to the shore, and has a legend of a devilish architect.

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

The abandoned ruins of a failed resort hide on this verdant, picture-perfect island.