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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Italy

921 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Italy

Updated January 31, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Italy

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."

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.

Rome, Italy

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

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

Bomarzo, Italy

The Monsters of Bomarzo

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

Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

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

Rome, Italy

Quartiere Coppedè

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.

Rome, Italy

Galleria Sciarra

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

Baia, Italy

The Sunken City of Baia

A submerged archeological park still holds the wonders of a Roman Sodom.

See All 921 Things To Do in Italy

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Italy

Milan, Italy

BackDoor 43

One of the world’s smallest bars, just 13 square feet, is brimming with speakeasy flair.

Florence, Italy

Babae Wine Window

Drink wine handed out through a window as part of an age-old tradition.

Rome, Italy

Servian Wall at McDonald's

Inside this McDonald's you can dine on your Big Mac and fries next to a 2,500-year-old Roman wall.

Pompeii, Italy

Thermopolia of Pompeii

Ancient snack bar of the Roman Empire re-opened.

See all 10 Places to Eat in Italy

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Guided Tours of Italy

Atlas Obscura Trips

Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli

From street food to lavish feasts, piping-hot coffee to smooth aperitivos, folk songs to opera, hilltop farms to urban wilds, immerse yourself in the greatest culinary and cultural experiences of Naples, meeting lively local Neapolitani for whom this is the only way to live.

Explore Italy

Sacred Spaces 141

History & Culture 117

Architectural Oddities 64

Places To Stay 7

Unique Restaurants & Bars 5

Italy Leaderboard

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Claybrant

wants to go to BackDoor 43
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Claybrant

has been to BackDoor 43
josev83

wants to go to Capo Colonna
josev83

wants to go to Buca Dello Spione
josev83

wants to go to Palazzo San Giorgio

Stories About Italy

Podcast: Galileo’s Middle Finger

Investigating a renowned scientist's iconic digit.

by The Podcast Team

January 31, 2023

The Sauce That Survived Italy's War on Pasta

The Futurists tried to abolish pasta and all they got was this delicious dish.

by Sam Lin-Sommer

January 27, 2023

Meet Caterina Sforza and Other Warrior Queens History Forgot

From Italy’s fortress-seizing countess to Angola’s battle-hardened Queen Njinga, these women didn’t back down from a fight.

January 26, 2023

Were These Giant Carved Stones Used to Make Ancient Italian Wine?

Rocky artifacts may offer insight into an Etruscan industry.

by Vittoria Traverso

January 18, 2023

In This Seaside Town, the New Year Brings a Battle With the ‘Witches of the Sea’

The local Epiphany celebration of Grado, Italy, is inspired by a mysterious band of 16th-century pirates.

by Vittoria Traverso

January 3, 2023

Rediscovering Calabria's Mystical White Olives

An archeologist is mapping out the last remaining trees.

by Elena Valeriote

December 7, 2022

The Quest to Make Jellyfish Delicious

Italian chefs are teaming up with scientists to fry, sauté, and pickle the creatures into the food of the future.

by Agostino Petroni

November 15, 2022

The Curious Afterlife of a Fascist Utopia

What's next for this architectural wonder hidden in the swamps of northern Italy?

by Alex Sakalis

September 9, 2022

Lists Featuring Italy

The crostata, with the storefront in the background.

7 Extraordinary Jewish Restaurants Around the World

A global map of diverse delights.

Including Passticeria il Boccione, Gottlieb's Restaurant, and Nahoum and Sons

Ponte di Cecco

10 Italian Sites Shrouded in Mystery and Legend

The places that inspire one of our top contributors to want to learn more.

Including Gaiola Island, Ponte di Cecco, and Church of San Giacomo di Rialto

Madaba Mosaic Map

The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling

Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium

They were built in 1979.

The Howe Street stair corridor is the longest in Seattle.

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Play real-life Chutes and Ladders at these obscure thruways.

Including Secret Tiled Staircase, Winfield Street Slides , and Howe Street Stairs

(Flickr/andreakw)

The bathroom

Some of the decorations include broken crockery that have been priced back together

11 Homes Transformed Into Amazing Mosaics

If you own your property, why not bedazzle it?

Including Wyckoff Street Mosaic, La Maison Picassiette, and House of Mirrors

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