On May 6, 1527 a rogue army of 35,000 mercenaries and soldiers descended on Rome. The Pope found himself on the wrong side of international land-grab politics, religious reformations that had... »

Architectural Oddities | Edited by Annetta

Niki de Saint Phalle, born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle on October 29, 1930, was a French sculptor and film maker. In 1978, she began work on a series of 21 large-scale sculptures... »

Outsider Art | Edited by Bswanson and Dylan

Tempio Voltiano, or the Voltian Temple, is a neoclassical monument and museum dedicated to the life and work of the Italian physicist and inventor of the modern battery, Allesandro Volta. In the... »

Strange Science, Instruments of Science, Electrical Oddities, Retro-Tech | Edited by Trevor and wythe

Medieval torture devices and modern human rights abuses are not two things that are often mentioned within the same sentence. However, at the Medieval Criminal Museum in San Gimignano they go... »

Crime and Punishment | Edited by Nathan_Risinger and Kiri_the_Unicorn

When Giorgio Vasari undertook the restoration of the grand old Palazzo della Signoria, now known as the Palazzo Vecchio, he envisioned a new room adorned with maps of Italy and the known world,... »

Marvelous Maps and Measures, Repositories of Knowledge, Dead Explorers | Edited by Annetta and Dylan

It's been the site of jousting knights and frolicking revelers in carnivale celebrations. Garibaldi defended Rome from the top of it, while wine cooled in caves under it. It has stood in for... »

Geological Oddities | Edited by Annetta and Dylan

The Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy is probably the oldest still-operating pharmacy in the world, and certainly the oldest in Italy. It was established in 1221, when the Dominican monks from the... »

Pharmacy Museums | Edited by michelle, Josh and 4 others

Industry is the backdrop for divinity at the Centrale Montemartini in Rome. Formerly the first public electricity plant, the Giovanni Montemartini Thermoelectric Centre has been reimagined as a... »

Museums and Collections, Electrical Oddities | Edited by allison and wythe

"I know I must die; someone has given me Aqua Tofana." Mozart told his wife on his deathbed in 1791. Wolfgang was referring to an infamous poison, reputedly odorless and tasteless that was widely... »

Relics and Reliquaries, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by Annetta and lib

It was a shock when Roman Emperor Caligula's two massive ships were uncovered in their opulent glory in Lake Nemi. While their presence was known for centuries, their size and extravagance were... »

Cultures and Civilizations , Incredible Ruins | Edited by allison, Dylan and others