Fashion, food and history have merged in Rome since toga-wearing partyers swept along marble roads to Bacchanalia festivals. In the modern city, one place encapsulates all those aspects in one polished, bustling square block. Rinascente, an upscale department store with nine locations in Italy, opened an eight-story flagship in the Italian capital in late 2017 at Via del Tritone 61, practically around the corner from the Trevi Fountain. There, Gucci and Fendi brush up against reminders of earlier Romans.

Enter through doors manned by welcomers (who likely double as guards). You'll find not only striking displays of Italian designer clothing and rooftop dining with a view of St. Peter's Basilica, but also the remains of ancient aqueducts. When excavating to remake the building into a department store, workers uncovered remains of the Aqua Virgo aqueducts dating to 19 B.C. The archaeological discovery slowed construction, but didn't halt it.