A slightly creepy gallery of plaster cast models in the same museum as Michelangelo's David.

An astounding collection of taxidermy, fossils, skeletons, and even a few strange live beasts.

This enchanting 600-year-old tree is so magical it inspired the beloved tale of Pinocchio.

This museum is rotten with a century of wax medical deformities.

A cluttered and astounding collection of antiquities and curiosities.

An extraordinary house museum and cabinet of curiosities in the heart of Florence.

The only visible reminders of an elaborate engineering project that kept the tower from reaching the tipping point.

David Sedaris called it "The greatest shop in the world."

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

Hanging within this medieval church are the bones of a beast allegedly slain by a fourth-century saint.

The tomb of the mythological founder of Padua is not hidden in some obscure crypt, but stands right in the middle of the city square.

One of the largest caves in the world open to the public.

A haunting collection of sunken wooden barges litters this Italian river bend.

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.

It’s said this crypt was the setting for the tragic finale of the Shakespeare play.

A huge enchanting public park just outside the ancient walls of Rome.

A fairy tale castle in modern Rome.

This equestrian statue of Constantine the Great has been the subject of criticism for centuries.

Ever hear of the Milazzo Cage?

One of the most important yet well-hidden museums dedicated to the history of medicine.

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

Charles Dickens was not a fan of the ghastly wall dressings in this 6th century church.

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.

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