This grisly effigy displays an early Christian martyr who was skinned alive and beheaded.

Milan's duomo is covered in beautiful carving including a curious "dinosaur-like" beast.

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

The mark of the Devil's horns on a marble column in Milan.

This statue of the legendary Austrian composer is hidden in the center of an Italian town.

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

Centuries ago, red and white wine poured from the statue's breasts whenever a new Venetian ruler was elected.

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

The small peaceful island off the Venice tourist circuit is where the city began more than 1,500 years ago.

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

The marble facade hides a little-known medical museum with early surgical instruments and rare copies of canonical texts.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

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

This Roman statue is missing a limb from when the Venetians stole it from Constantinople during the Crusades.

An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.

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

A sinister pyramid in the Frari contains the heart of the famous neoclassical sculptor.

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.

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

This uniquely designed bridge served as the city gate for Comacchio.

Italian poet Dante Alighieri is entombed in this small mausoleum in Ravenna, and his hometown of Florence has never been too happy about it.

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.

Famous landmarks and structures from across Italy fill this miniature park.