samsaenger4's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Rome, Italy

Passetto di Borgo

The Pope’s secret escape route.
Rome, Italy

Basilica di San Clemente

A Nesting Doll of Churches.
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

Saint Victoria's Incorruptible Body

The martyr's wax-enhanced skeletal remains lie preserved in a glass case in the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.
Rome, Italy

Papal Hearts at Santi Vincenzo e Anastasio a Trevi

This former Roman Catholic Church still contains the embalmed hearts and organs of 22 popes.
Rome, Italy

Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

A collection of objects supposedly singed by the hands of souls in purgatory.
Rome, Italy

Casina delle Civette

A fairy tale castle in modern Rome.
Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of San Sebastian

Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.
Rome, Italy

Zuccari Palace

Architectural monsters are devouring this palace's every door and window.
Rome, Italy

Domus Aurea

The engineering wonder and pleasure dome of a much-maligned emperor still holds undiscovered secrets.
Rome, Italy

The Protestant Cemetery

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.
Rome, Italy

St. Valentine's Skull

The skull of the patron saint of lovers lies in the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin—maybe.
Rome, Italy

Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte

At the crypt of St. Mary of Eulogies and the Dead you are left alone to ponder mortality among piles of skulls.
Rome, Italy

Pyramid of Cestius

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.
Rome, Italy

The Mithraeum at Circus Maximus

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.
Rome, Italy

The Mouth of Truth

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.
Rome, Italy

The Aventine Keyhole

Rome's semi-secret peephole vista is also a former Crusader stronghold.
Rome, Italy

Galleria Sciarra

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

The Dome Illusion

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

Quartiere Coppedè

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.
Rome, Italy

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.
Paris, France

Roger La Grenouille

This frog-themed restaurant was frequented by Picasso, Saint-Exupéry, and more.
Paris, France

Mascarons of Pont Neuf

If you look closely at the oldest bridge in Paris, you might notice hundreds of ugly faces leering from its sides.
Paris, France

Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice

This 18th-century sundial was designed to calculate the date of Easter each year.