Sicily in $600s-$630s RT

Sicily might be famous as the birthplace of the mafia, but even the toughest made man might hesitate before stepping foot in the eerie depths of the Capuchin Catacombs.

Built under a monastery, the walls of this creepy crypt are lined with about 8,000 mummified Sicilians—not buried or hidden in coffins, but totally exposed to the open air. After death, the bodies were prepared by the monks, who removed their organs and stuffed them with straw and bay leaves before displaying them in their finest clothes. Some were even posed, like two children sitting together in a rocking chair.

If you've ever wanted to stare a 300-year-old Sicilian painter directly in the, uh, empty sockets where his eyes used to be, then this is your chance. We won't judge you for your really weird life goals, and neither will the mummies :-)