The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.

Sitting on an Italian hilltop is this surreal fortress built by the mad inventor of electrohomeopathy.

This sword isn't waiting for a king to pull it out. It was placed there by a saint.

The largest and most famous wax anatomical collection anywhere in the world.

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.

An ossuary built in 1210 to collect bones from the Ospedale Maggiore of Milan.

Abandoned medieval hill town.

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.

Ruins of a 10th century church tucked away deep in a botanical garden.

As can be expected from a centuries old church built in a canal city, the undercroft of this house of worship is beautifully flooded.

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.

At the crypt of St. Mary of Eulogies and the Dead you are left alone to ponder mortality among piles of skulls.

This 16th-century monastery has been turned into a surrealist architecture compound.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.

The glowing blue Nymphaeum of Emperor Tiberius.

Hidden in an Italian forest is a completely homemade amusement park that has taken a lifetime to create.

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

According to the local folklore, the myriad colors of this lake are the result of a lovelorn wizard's blunder.

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.