RachelCassidy's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Venice, Italy

Palazzo Dario

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.
Venice, Italy

Isola di San Michele

Venice's island of the dead.
Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

Ponte delle Tette

In the past, Renaissance sex workers were encouraged to entice customers on this bridge.
Venice, Italy

Monument to Niccolò Tommaseo

The pile of books behind the dignified writer gave the statue a most undignified nickname.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

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

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.
Florence, Italy

Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospital of the Innocents)

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.
Florence, Italy

Fresco of John Hawkwood

In Florence's great Duomo, a 26 foot fresco honors a mercenary famous for attacking Florence.
Rome, Italy

Galleria Sciarra

This hidden Art Nouveau courtyard is an opulent feast for the eyes.
Rome, Italy

Fontana dell'Acqua Felice

A monumental fountain in Rome features a large statue of Moses that has been criticized for centuries.
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

Madama Lucrezia

This statue is the only female representation of Rome's "talking statues."
Rome, Italy

Casa dei Crescenzi

A rare example of a medieval house in Rome adorned with a melancholic inscription.
Rome, Italy

Temple of Portunus

This small, ancient Roman temple was once a church dedicated to the patron saint of penitents.
Rome, Italy

Santa Maria della Concezione Crypts

The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4,000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises."
Rome, Italy

Palazzo Naiadi Roman Baths

Ancient ruins hidden underneath a modern luxury hotel.
Rome, Italy

Monument to the Fallen of Dogali

An ancient Egyptian obelisk is now used to commemorate fallen Italian soldiers.
Rome, Italy

Buca Dello Spione

An 18th-century post box used to alert the church of sick and ailing foreign pilgrims.
Rome, Italy

Passetto di Borgo

The Pope’s secret escape route.
Rome, Italy

The Dome Illusion

A master of trompe-l'oeil creates a stunning, tourist-fooling dome out of a flat ceiling.
Rome, Italy

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.
Rome, Italy

Elephant and Obelisk

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

Piè di Marmo (Marble Foot)

A massive marble foot is tucked away in a small alley near the Pantheon.