olliesf's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Naples, Italy

Naples Underground

A labyrinth of ancient tunnels hidden below the city holds the ruins of 2,500 years of history.
Saturnia, Italy

Terme di Saturnia

Geothermal waterfalls in Tuscany.
Venice, Italy

San Servolo Insane Asylum Museum

Venice's "Island of the Mad."
Ercolano, Italy

Herculaneum

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.
Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of San Sebastian

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

Neptune's Grotto

Stalactites and stalagmites in a beautifully lit cave.
Rome, Italy

The Protestant Cemetery

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

Zuccari Palace

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

Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.
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.
Florence, Italy

Michelangelo's Hidden Drawings

The doodles of a genius line the walls of a secret room under the Medici Chapel, where they were hidden for nearly 500 years.
Florence, Italy

Galileo's Middle Finger

The middle finger of modernity.
Rome, Italy

The Mouth of Truth

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

Libreria Acqua Alta

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.
Rome, Italy

The Dome Illusion

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

Galleria Sciarra

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

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

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

Valle dei Mulini (Valley of the Mills)

An Italian crevasse filled with abandoned buildings gives visitors a look at the world without humans.
Palermo, Italy

Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum of Palermo

This unique museum is home to over 5,000 puppets of all types.
Palermo, Italy

Palazzo Chiaramonte

Haunting graffiti left by prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition.
Palermo, Italy

Cappella Palatina

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.
Palermo, Italy

Porta Nuova

This triumphal 16th-century arched gateway leads to the oldest street in Palermo.