Leininho's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tropea, Italy

Santa Maria dell’Isola Monastery

A fairytale-like medieval church perched atop a rocky cliff on Italy's "Coast of the Gods."
Stilo, Italy

Cattolica di Stilo

A small Byzantine church lost in the middle of the mountains of southern Italy.
Le Castella, Italy

Castello Aragonese (Aragonese Castle)

This scenic fortress dates back at least 2,400 years to the time of Magna Graecia.
Palermo, Italy

Santa Maria dello Spasimo

This skeletal, unfinished Gothic church once housed a miraculous masterpiece by Raphael.
Palermo, Italy

The Martorana

This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.
Palermo, Italy

Porta Nuova

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.
Palermo, Italy

San Giovanni degli Eremiti

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.
Palermo, Italy

Qanat di Palermo

A network of underground water channels that dates back to the Middle Ages.
Palermo, Italy

Santuario di Santa Rosalia

Cave shrine on Monte Pellegrino.
Belpasso, Italy

Mount Etna

The world's most active stratovolcano is almost always erupting.
Syracuse, Italy

Fountain of Arethusa

According to Greek mythology, this natural spring is the home of a freshwater nymph.
Syracuse, Italy

Chiesa di San Filippo Apostolo

Built on a medieval synagogue, this church has a burial crypt, tunnel system, and Jewish ritual bath hiding deep underneath.
Syracuse, Italy

Ear of Dionysius

Italian cave with exceptional acoustics and an unsavory history.
Caltagirone, Italy

Ceramic Steps of Caltagirone

142 ceramic steps become a mosaic once a year.
Cefalù, Italy

Lavatoio Medievale

A medieval wash house where people washed clothes in a river allegedly formed by the tears of a mourning nymph.
Cefalù, Italy

Aleister Crowley's Abbey of Thelema

Where Aleister Crowley taught magick in "La Chambre Des Cauchemars," his "Chamber of Nightmares."
Bagheria, Italy

Villa Palagonia

A collection of grotesques lines the walls of this Italian villa.
Favara, Italy

Farm Cultural Park

This constantly evolving art space saved an Italian town from its own crippling reputation.
Realmonte, Italy

Scala dei Turchi

"Stairs of the Turks", a chalky white cliff eroded conveniently into stairs, allowing for easy pillaging.
San Biagio Platani, Italy

Arches of Bread Festival

Every Easter, a small Sicilian town builds a stunning cathedral out of bread.
Santo Stefano Quisquina, Italy

Teatro Andromeda

Gorgeous views of Italian mountains and valleys form the backdrop of this unique open-air theater.
Sciacca, Italy

Il Castello Incantato

A madman's personal garden filled with 1,000 sculpted heads.
Monreale, Italy

Borgo Schiro

Abandoned village in Sicily built during the agricultural reforms of Mussolini.
Poggioreale, Italy

Ruins of Poggioreale

This entire town moved to a safe location after it was devastated by an earthquake, but the remains of the original town are still around.