Casa Casuarina

If you're walking along the sidewalk that lines South Beach Miami, facing Ocean Drive, and spot groups of people hovering around one particularly fabulous building, then you are probably in front of Casa Casuarina. This is one of the most identifyably famous tourist spots, evidences by the constant mulling about of snapshot-takers in front. This is where Gianni Versace was murdered, on the steps of his own home, in 1997. The late Italian designer purchased the ornate Spanish Mediterranean style palace in the early 1980s when South Beach Miami was still asleep during its dark ages, before the arrival of the urban chic and trendiness. It was formerly known as Amsterdam Palace.

Casa Casurina was built long before the Art Deco buildings in South Beach Miami and features three stories of ornate design and wonderful architecture. There is a copper domed rooftop observatory, a pool, and a guest house, everything a world-famous top fashion designer needs. It's located at 1114 Ocean Drive, which is 11th Street on the Beach.