chimchimbean's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Madrid, Spain

Juan de la Cosa Map

The earliest known map to show America, discovered by accident at a Paris bookshop.
Madrid, Spain

'Witches' Sabbath (The Great He-Goat)'

This macabre masterpiece of a mural is one of Francisco Goya's "Black Paintings."
Madrid, Spain

Reverte Coma Forensic Museum

The morbid items in this small and hidden museum are not for the weak stomached.
Madrid, Spain

Air Crash

A whimsical brother of the nearby Fallen Angel statue takes the falling part quite literally.
Madrid, Spain

Fountain of the Fallen Angel

Commonly acknowledged as the only public monument to the Devil himself.
Rome, Italy

Hermitage of Saint Sylvester

This hermitage celebrates the legend of Emperor Constantine's healing from leprosy.
Rome, Italy

Sisinnius Fresco in the Basilica San Clemente

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

Tomba di Nerone (Tomb of Nero)

Known for centuries as the famous Roman emperor's burial place, this monument is actually something else.
Rome, Italy

Arch of the Argentarii

This ancient Roman arch misled treasure hunters for centuries.
Rome, Italy

Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso

This basilica is dedicated to two saints, one of which is known more for his famous quote.
Rome, Italy

'Il Babuino' ('The Baboon')

Romans decided this 16th-century "talking statue" was so ugly, they named it after a primate.
Rome, Italy

Basilica of San Crisogono

Remnants of a 4th-century church with vivid medieval frescoes and ancient sarcophagi hide beneath this old basilica.
Rome, Italy

Cappella di San Zenone (Chapel of Saint Zeno)

Its interior is adorned with some of the best examples of early Christian mosaics.
Rome, Italy

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

One of Catholicism's four major basilicas has a series of papal portraits that are said to predict the end of the world.
Rome, Italy

The Sacconi Rossi Crypt

A burial vault located under Tiber Island in the middle of the Italian capital.
Rome, Italy

Ludus Magnus

The ruins of the largest gladiatorial school in Rome are largely hidden under modern streets.
Rome, Italy

Santa Francesca Romana

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.
Rome, Italy

Temple of Hercules Victor

This curious, round temple is the oldest still-standing marble building in Rome.
Rome, Italy

The Museum of Roman Ships at Fiumicino

Roman-era ships unearthed...
Rome, Italy

Basilica of Santa Sabina

The best preserved Paleochristian basilica in Rome hides a number of oddities and secrets.
Rome, Italy

Parish Church of Santa Maria del Popolo

A treasure trove of Renaissance-era funerary art in a Roman church built on top of Nero's grave.
Rome, Italy

Villa Doria Pamphili Park

A huge enchanting public park just outside the ancient walls of Rome.
Rome, Italy

Keats-Shelley Memorial House

Museum dedicated to literary greats of the Romantic Period is also the home in which Keats met his untimely end.
Rome, Italy

Meridian Line of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.