ale8990's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Vejle, Denmark
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Places visited in Genoa, Italy
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Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

Ponte dei Pugni (Bridge of Fists)

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.
Beijing, China

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall

The embalmed remains of the communist leader lie within a custom crystal coffin.
Beijing, China

Working People's Cultural Palace

This smaller cousin of the Forbidden City has gone from ancestral sacrifice to tourist's whispers.
Beijing, China

The Forbidden City

The most famous location in China was home to whole dynasties worth of imperial rulers.
Beijing, China

Ming Dynasty Tombs

Ming Dynasty necropolis raided during the Cultural Revolution.
Beijing, China

Dragon Escalator

The world's longest outdoor escalator takes visitors to the top of China's largest dam and is also shaped like a dragon.
Realmonte, Italy

Scala dei Turchi

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

Arabic Inscription of Palermo Cathedral

Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.
Palermo, Italy

Porta Nuova

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

Cappella Palatina

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.
San Marino, San Marino

Montale

The smaller of the three towers of San Marino is a former prison inaccessible from the ground level.
Lecce, Italy

Roman Amphitheater of Lecce

A long-buried ancient ruin unearthed right in the middle of the city.
Alberobello, Italy

Alberobello

Southern Italy's spinning top village.
Bari, Italy

Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari

A dead saint, a deadly poison, and a mysterious holy ooze.
Athens, Greece

Agia Dynamis

This small 16th-century church in Athens is almost entirely surrounded by a modern building.
Athens, Greece

Magic Sphere of Helios

This mystical orb covered in strange symbols is thought to have been used in ancient Greek magical rituals.
Athens, Greece

The Olive Tree of the Acropolis

Legend says this sacred tree was a gift from goddess Athena.
Athens, Greece

Choregic Monument of Thrasyllos (Panagia Speliotissa)

An ancient Greek monument and a Byzantine church coexist inside this cave.
Athens, Greece

Theatre of Dionysus

Heralded as the world's first theater, these ruins are often overlooked as they reside in the shadows of the Acropolis.
Toronto, Ontario

CN Tower Stairs

One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World holds the world's tallest metal staircase.
Toronto, Ontario

Berczy Park Dog Fountain

This whimsical fountain pays tribute to Toronto's four-legged friends.
Toronto, Ontario

Gooderham Building

Known as "Toronto's Flatiron."