lizzyhwhearts's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Mafra, Portugal

Mafra Palace Library

At night, bats patrol this magnificent 18th-century space in search of book-eating pests.
Lagoa, Portugal

Benagil Caves

Perhaps the most spectacular grotto along the Algarve coastline.
Porto, Portugal

Porto's Heritage Streetcar System and Museum

This historic streetcar system has been running since the 19th-century.
Almansa, Spain

Battle of Almansa Museum

Commemorating a battle where French troops were commanded by an Englishman, and English troops by a Frenchman.
Somosierra, Spain

Battle of Somosierra Memorial

A tiny church remembers the Polish cavalrymen who charged their way into a Napoleonic victory.
Barcelona, Spain

The Güell Pavillions Dragon Gate

This stunning iron gate designed by Modernist architect Antoni Gaudí is filled with mythic symbolism.
Barcelona, Spain

Street Performers of Las Ramblas

The iconic boulevard is the perfect place to catch sight of a bicycling skeleton, a levitating Satan, or a chef with his head stuck in a pizza.
Dublin, Ireland

St. Michan's Mummies

An Irish church where an 800-year-old mummy is reaching out of his coffin as if to shake hands.
Genoa, Italy

The Lighthouse of Genoa

Depending on how it is measured, this lighthouse can claim to be the tallest in Europe and the tallest conventional lighthouse in the world.
Genoa, Italy

Palazzo San Giorgio

Once home to one of the oldest banks in the world, this building is also where Marco Polo's famous travelogue was written.
Ischia, Italy

Poor Clares Convent Cemetery

Deceased nuns were placed on stone chairs to decompose, while the surviving nuns prayed near the lifeless bodies.
Naples, Italy

Fontanelle Cemetery Caves

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.
Naples, Italy

Via Port’Alba

This 17th-century passageway is home to numerous bookshops, a witch legend, and the oldest pizzeria in the world.
Naples, Italy

The Arm of St. Thomas Aquinas

The remains of the left arm of the levitating philosopher-saint are kept in a 13th-century Neapolitan basilica.
Naples, Italy

Birthplace of the Pizza Margherita Plaque

A popular legend claims that the famous pizza was invented at a restaurant in this alley.
Naples, Italy

Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco

The Neapolitan Cult of the Dead still cares for the skulls at this mini-Fontanelle.
Naples, Italy

Via dei Presepi

Every day is like Christmas on this street where the traditional Neapolitan nativity scene comes to life.
Naples, Italy

The Anatomical Machines of Cappella Sansevero

These "anatomical machines" are only one of the many strange items in this Italian crypt.
Naples, Italy

Toledo Art Station

This shining multicolored metro station deep under Naples is said to be the most beautiful in Europe.
Naples, Italy

Gabinetto Segreto

The once forbidden "secret cabinet" of erotic art from excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Ercolano, Italy

Herculaneum

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.
Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii Thermopolium

Before it was buried by volcanic ash, this fast-food restaurant fed the hungry hordes of ancient Rome.
Pompeii, Italy

Villa dei Misteri

This amazingly well-preserved villa just outside Pompeii boasts rare examples of ancient Roman paintings.
Pompeii, Italy

Stone Phalluses of Pompeii

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.