diffendale's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Pompeii, Italy
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Places edited in Constanța, Romania
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Places visited in Meknes, Morocco
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Places visited in Northampton, Massachusetts
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Places visited in Rieti, Italy
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Places visited in Acharnes, Greece
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Places visited in Rome, Italy
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Places visited in Ercolano, Italy
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San Antonio, Texas

Roman Urn Collection at SAMA

Amazingly detailed marble cinerary urns that once held the cremains of Roman elite.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Scallop Shell Pulpit

The oldest operational cathedral in the U.S. has one shell of a way of projecting speakers' voices.
Washington, D.C.

Peacock Room

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.
Detroit, Michigan

Beth Olem

This historic Jewish cemetery sits right in the heart of a Detroit car factory.
Cleveland, Ohio

World's Largest Rubber Stamp

Cleveland's giant "free" stamp is a nod to the Civil War, but was misinterpreted for years.
Cleveland, Ohio

Balto the Sled Dog

The heroic sled dog of the 1925 serum run is preserved in taxidermy.
Venice, Italy

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

This Roman statue is missing a limb from when the Venetians stole it from Constantinople during the Crusades.
Knoxville, Tennessee

The Sunsphere

Knoxville’s architectural icon was the symbol of the 1982 World’s Fair, even catching the googly eye of Bart Simpson.
Boston, Massachusetts

Brattle Book Shop

One of the oldest used bookstores in the U.S. has been selling antiquarian treasures since 1825.
Vatican City

Vatican Necropolis

Hidden beneath the famous St. Peter's Basilica is a veritable city of the dead that may hold the remains of St. Peter himself.
Thessaloniki, Greece

Heptapyrgion Fortress

An abandoned Byzantine fortress and notorious prison.
Florence, Italy

Bronze Replica of Michelangelo’s David

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.
Pozzuoli, Italy

Flavian Amphitheater of Pozzuoli

Italy's third-largest Roman arena gives a peek into the underground operations beneath the ancient spectacles.
Detroit, Michigan

Detroit Masonic Temple

The world’s largest Masonic temple was saved by the White Stripes.
Boston, Massachusetts

World's Largest Air-Insulated Van de Graaff Generator

The massive machine creates cracking displays of indoor lightning.
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.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Wanamaker Grand Court Organ

The sounds of the world's largest fully functioning pipe organ dazzle shoppers at a Philadelphia Macy's.
Gloucestershire, England

Chedworth Roman Villa

Deep in the countryside lie the remains of one of the grandest Roman dwellings in Britain.
Sperlonga, Italy

Villa of Tiberius

The Roman Emperor's lost summer home and grotto full of enormous sculptures sit along the Italian seashore.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Union Station Train Crash

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
Washington, D.C.

Man Controlling Trade

A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.
Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy

Mithraeum at Santa Maria Capua Vetere

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient Roman religious cult contains an exquisite traditional fresco.
Catskill, New York

Catskill Game Farm

The abandoned ruins of America's first private zoo are open for exploration in the Catskills.