AmandaPiccirillo1121's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Antofagasta Province, Chile

The VLT - Very Large Telescope

In the most arid desert on the planet, the world's leading telescope allows astronomers to see more than has ever been seen before.
Valparaiso, Chile

Elevators of Valparaiso

What was once a unique system of urban elevators is turning into a mechanical ruin.
Leeward Settlement, Turks and Caicos Islands

Iguana Island

Uninhabited islet in the Caribbean is the sanctuary of giant lizards.
George Town, Cayman Islands

George Town

The capital of the Cayman Islands is a center of offshore banking, but gets battered by blistering hurricanes.
Willemstad, Curaçao

Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue

The floor of the oldest surviving synagogue in the Americas is entirely covered in sand.
Vienna, Austria

Jesuitenkirche (Jesuit Church)

The solemn exterior conceals an opulent interior of this 17th century church.
Vienna, Austria

Kunstkammer Wien

The Habsburgs' royal collections of art and wonders.
Vienna, Austria

Dominikanerkirche (Dominican Church)

An exquisite Baroque church in Vienna's old town.
Vienna, Austria

Wiener Pestsäule (Vienna Plague Column)

Baroque celebration of the end of the Great Plague of Vienna.
Vienna, Austria

Karlskirche (St. Charles's Church)

Built to give thanks for the passing of a plague epidemic, this cathedral is a one-of-a-kind architectural hybrid.
Vienna, Austria

Habsburg Imperial Crypt

The final resting place for the remains of 143 Habsburg royalty.
Toronto, Ontario

Ontario Place

An abandoned 1970s theme park that has been turned into a space for waterfront walking.
Toronto, Ontario

Casa Loma

A 98-room castle in the middle of Toronto that bankrupted a 19th century electricity multimillionaire.
San Francisco, California

Hotel Majestic

San Francisco's oldest operating hotel, with a Victorian atmosphere and a "haunted" fourth floor.
San Francisco, California

Palace of Fine Arts

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.
San Francisco, California

Japanese Tea Garden

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.
Rome, Italy

Temple of Hercules Victor

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

Mercatus Traiani (Trajan's Market)

This ancient market is often referred to as the oldest shopping mall in the world.
Rome, Italy

Basilica of Santi Quattro Coronati

A fortified medieval basilica on the Caelian Hill preserves extraordinary frescoes and one of Rome's most beautiful hidden cloisters.
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

Elephant and Obelisk

A detailed pachyderm supports Rome's smallest Egyptian obelisk.
Rome, Italy

Basilica of Santa Sabina

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

Mamertine Prison

This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross not as blasphemy but as saintly tribute.