beaurichly's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Shamrock, Texas

U-Drop Inn

Once in disrepair, this popular Texas stop along iconic Route 66 has been restored to its past glory.
Collinsville, Illinois

Cahokia Mounds

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.
Bomarzo, Italy

The Monsters of Bomarzo

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.
Rome, Italy

Chiesa di San Francesco a Ripa Grande (Church of San Francesco a Ripa)

A small cell adjacent to this church was once the bedroom for a renowned saint.
Rome, Italy

Santa Maria sopra Minerva Flood Markers

Plaques on its facade commemorate the Tiber's most destructive deluges.
Rome, Italy

'Il Babuino' ('The Baboon')

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

Elephant and Obelisk

A detailed pachyderm supports Rome's smallest Egyptian obelisk.
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

Villa Doria Pamphili Park

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

Mussolini's Balcony

The spot where the fascist dictator made some of his most famous speeches including declaring war on Britain and France.
Rome, Italy

Cinecittà

The studio built by fascists in the hopes of "reviving the film industry" with the occasional propaganda film opportunity thrown in.
Rome, Italy

Veii

Rome's ancient Etruscan rival, now a park full of ruins.
Rome, Italy

Cloaca Maxima

The "Greatest Sewer" of ancient Rome is one of the oldest sewer systems in the world, and is still in use.
Rome, Italy

Monte Testaccio

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.
Rome, Italy

Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio

More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.
Rome, Italy

Lacus Curtius

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.
Rome, Italy

Arch of Gallienus

This Roman arch marks the location of an ancient gate at one of the Seven Hills of Rome.
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.
Rome, Italy

Passetto di Borgo

The Pope’s secret escape route.
Rome, Italy

Parco degli Acquedotti

This beautiful park on the outskirts of Rome protects the ruins of two colossal ancient aqueducts.
Rome, Italy

The Head of St. John the Baptist at San Silvestro in Capite

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.
Rome, Italy

Basilica di San Clemente

A Nesting Doll of Churches.
Rome, Italy

Campo de Fiori

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.