6. The Medici Chapel (Florence). Possibly the most overwhelming single room in the world, with four or five Michelangelo statues down the hall as a bonus. Built to house the tombs of the Medici rulers of Florence, and as an expression of their wealth and power. Look closely at the altar; what appears to be paint is actually mosaic inlay.

7.The double cloister in Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal. I’ve seen a lot of churches, and a lot of beautiful build-Jngs, but I’ve never seen anything like this. This is the one absolute can’t-miss sight” in Lisbon, an open courtyard surrounded by a double tier of carved stone so delicate and detailed that it would look perfectly at home in a temple in Cambodia.

8. The Tables at the Prado, Madrid. As mentioned in the sec-tl0n in museums (see below), the Prado has the finest collection of paintings in the world. Along with the paintings, scattered throughout the second floor of the museum are tables with stone inlay surfaces that push the limit between art and miracle. These aren’t classic mosaics (which use tiny chips of stone to create a picture); instead they use chunks of stone to simulate objects lying on the table’s surface, such as fruit, paper, and scientific and musical instruments. I’ve never seen anything like them anywhere else in Europe, and every time I go to Madrid I am dumbfounded at the skill it took to make them.