A medieval tower with a suspended iron cage used as an open-air jail for criminals who were exposed as a warning.

This decoration above a door, an unofficial family crest, is said to come alive during the night to try to get free of the stone.

In Lago Superiore, the largest expanse of lotus flowers outside of Asia is hard to miss.

The remains of the last Gonzaga villa, a luxurious palace built in spite of an economic crisis.

Once the hunting reserve of a noble family, this is one of the few remnants of Pleistocene planitial forest in northern Italy that still stands.

In a tower at this centuries-old castle, members of a noble family were imprisoned and left to starve.

Nearly 800 years old, this river lock is now a public park with a former fortified island.

In this medieval church, a centuries-old stuffed crocodile hangs from the ceiling.

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

The oldest church in Mantua was buried for centuries under the facades of other structures.

A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.

An abandoned quarry hides an open-air gallery of huge sculptures, some made from the rubble of 9/11.

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.

An omelette made with over 1,000 eggs may have been prepared when Holy Roman Emperor Charles V visited this monastery.

The steel cable lets adventurers zoom between two mountain towns at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.

One of the most well-preserved castles in Italy also contains a rare medieval example of a port fortification.

Atop the former site of a historic bakery sit two stone tributes to Verona's contribution to traditional Italian baking.

An early 20th-century bullring converted into a modern shopping center.

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

A detailed pachyderm supports Rome's smallest Egyptian obelisk.

An architectural oddity hides in plain sight on this iconic London bridge.

Overlooking the burial ground is a tower designed to prevent thieves from snatching the recently deceased.

Ring the bell to enter a bar that looks equal parts museum and old curiosity shop.