A university observatory dome painted to resemble the beloved 'Star Wars' droid.

It's said the devil used this mushroom rock as a table for a late-night meal.

This sturdy, circular stronghold served as one of the forts that protected the Venetian Lagoon.

Originally a leper colony, the island is now an Armenian monastery that's home to an incredible manuscript library and eclectic museum.

The oldest of Venice's plague quarantine stations, designed to keep the medieval city safe from disease.

Thousand-year-old Viking runes adorn an ancient Greek lion at the entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.

Venice's island of the dead.

Venice's "Island of the Mad."

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

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

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

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

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

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.

In the past, Renaissance sex workers were encouraged to entice customers on this bridge.

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

A small island less than half a mile from Venice is a forbidden island with a dark and twisted past.

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

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

This abandoned island off the Venetian coast has been a radical monastery, a political prison, and a secret Nazi base.

This deconsecrated church has seen many uses, from a tobacco storehouse to a cinema.

This Italian church is as beautiful as it is common, except for the real skulls decorating the many mannequins inside.

This riverside restaurant has been serving customers since 1146.

The world's first and only museum dedicated to dachshunds.