An incredible mosaic-lined monument said to have held the remains of an ancient Roman empress.

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

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

Before it was buried by volcanic ash, this fast-food restaurant fed the hungry hordes of ancient Rome.

According to tradition this is the oldest church in Venice, but its actual age is a mystery.

Stare out over the lagoon and beyond from this 10th-century campanile on the island where the city of Venice began.

An 18th century fountain and two columns are all that remains of Rome's forgotten river harbor.

Some say this medieval church is where the poet Dante married his wife and also met the love of his life.

Legend has it this fountain built to symbolize the Pope’s power hides a strange secret concerning Neptune's manliness.

Remnants of a 4th-century church with vivid medieval frescoes and ancient sarcophagi hide beneath this old basilica.

One of Catholicism's four major basilicas has a series of papal portraits that are said to predict the end of the world.

Its interior is adorned with some of the best examples of early Christian mosaics.

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.

A dismembered holy head stares out from her beautiful reliquary at the St. Dominic Basilica.

Erotic art covers the walls of the largest ancient pleasure palace.

A treasure trove of Renaissance-era funerary art in a Roman church built on top of Nero's grave.

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.

Secret refuge and museum of the Duke of Florence.

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

Over 50 exquisite hand-painted Renaissance maps decorate a Medici storage room.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

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