This hermitage celebrates the legend of Emperor Constantine's healing from leprosy.

The city of Parma's cathedral is home to one of the greatest illusionistic frescoes of the Renaissance.

This church, better known for its weeping portrait of the Virgin Mary, also houses the world's oldest existing piece of taxidermy.

An abandoned village, frozen in time by the threat of a landslide.

Though an earthquake destroyed this village in 1980, one former resident still walks its streets every day.

It took more than 300 years to build this church, which is home to two sacred vessels believed to hold the blood of Christ.

A map of Italy made entirely of trees.

A long-buried ancient ruin unearthed right in the middle of the city.

A special area of the National Archaeological Museum of Naples is located inside a metro station.

Once home to one of the oldest banks in the world, this building is also where Marco Polo's famous travelogue was written.

This lesser-known leaning tower is all that remains of the medieval castle of Vernazzano.

Legend said this huge, gnarled tree sheltered the saint during a storm.

The 1,000-year-old abbey is the birthplace of modern musical notation.

A room filled with frescos that make it seem like the walls are crumbling down while giants die in despair.

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

A small island in Lake Garda that was used as a burial site, pirate hideout, and a monastery.

This amazing medieval fortress stands atop a promontory along the famous Cinque Terre.

An abandoned bell tower in the middle of nowhere is the last testimony of a forgotten medieval village.

The "Mona Lisa" of funerary art.

Just saying the name of this town out loud is said to bring bad luck.

The old church, buried by the 1784 Mount Vesuvius eruption, is a remarkably well-preserved place where people now pray for the souls of the dead.

The oldest volcanology research center in the world.

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

The pile of books behind the dignified writer gave the statue a most undignified nickname.