gavinsparby's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Alassio, Italy

Wall of Alassio

Ernest Hemingway was the first to sign this colorful wall covered in thousands of celebrity signatures.
Catania, Italy

Elephant Fountain

A mysterious ancient elephant said to possess magic powers is now the symbol of a Sicilian city.
Rome, Italy

Il Facchino

A statue representing a lost Roman profession that was vandalized for centuries.
Rome, Italy

Secret Compartment in Leonardo da Vinci Statue

A secret hatch containing two parchments was discovered in this statue over 40 years after its installation.
Rome, Italy

The Globe of the Vatican Obelisk

Legend has it that this bronze orb, which sat atop an ancient Egyptian obelisk, once held the ashes of Julius Caesar.
Formia, Italy

Eremo di San Michele Arcangelo (Hermitage of Saint Michael the Archangel)

Hidden in a high mountain cave, this hermitage dates back to the ninth century.
Grimaldi, Italy

Cavillon Cave at Grimaldi

A beautiful discovery site of prehistoric burials.
Rimini, Italy

House of the Shells

One Italian taxi driver covered his entire house in small seashells creating a weird bit of architecture that is preserved to this day.
Turin, Italy

The Dome of San Lorenzo

The intricate geometry inside this Baroque-style dome was designed to create "terror of the human soul."
Rome, Italy

Madama Lucrezia

This statue is the only female representation of Rome's "talking statues."
Cittadella, Italy

Cittadella City Walls

Featuring the last fully walkable parapet walkway in Europe.
Naples, Italy

Lipsanothecae of the Chapel of Saint Francesco de Geronimo

The relics of dozens of martyrs are stored in a single chapel.
Anagni, Italy

Cripta di San Magno

The “Sistine Chapel” of the Middle Ages merges 11th-century science and religion in wondrous hues.
Sirmione, Italy

Grotte di Catullo (Grottoes of Catullus)

On the shores of Lake Garda, the ruins of a Roman villa that allegedly belonged to the poet Catullus.
Rome, Italy

Sedia del Diavolo

According to local folklore, this Roman sepulcher was once a throne for the Devil.
Rome, Italy

Antoninus and Faustina Temple

An ancient Roman temple first dedicated to an emperor's wife is now a church.
Atessa, Italy

The Dragon Rib of Atessa

A preserved dragon's rib that remembers the legend of the founding of the city of Atessa.
Clusone, Italy

The Triumph of Death

A medieval fresco which reminds visitors that death will come for us all.
Bologna, Italy

Museum for the Memory of Ustica

The wreckage of a tragic plane crash is on display at this museum devoted to a famous Italian conspiracy.
Rome, Italy

Il Tempio di Adriano (Temple of Hadrian)

The remains of this 2nd-century Roman temple are incorporated into a modern building.
Rome, Italy

Sisinnius Fresco in the Basilica San Clemente

A rather vulgar example of the transition from Latin to the Italian vernacular.
Genoa, Italy

Ascensore Castello d'Albertis-Montegalletto

This peculiar Italian elevator runs both horizontally and vertically.
Altivole, Italy

Brion Tomb

A visionary Italian architect created an impressive cluster of concrete structures for a family's private tomb.
Lucca, Italy

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.