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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Italy

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

Updated December 1, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Albano Laziale
  2. Anagni
  3. Ascoli Piceno
  4. Asiago
  5. Bacoli
  6. Bagolino
  7. Bassano Del Grappa
  8. Bergamo
  9. Bologna
  10. Bolzano
  11. Bordighera
  12. Borgo A Mozzano
  13. Brescia
  14. Caprarola
  15. Capri
  16. Castel Sant'elia
  17. Cefalù
  18. Chiusdino
  19. Collodi
  20. Como
  21. Coreglia Antelminelli
  22. Cori
  23. Ercolano
  24. Florence
  25. Genoa
  26. Gubbio
  27. Iglesias
  28. Imola
  29. Lampedusa E Linosa
  30. L'aquila
  31. Lecce
  32. Lido
  33. Livorno
  34. Lucca
  35. Mantua
  36. Matera
  37. Messina
  38. Milan
  39. Modena
  40. Naples
  41. Noasca
  42. Orvieto
  43. Osimo
  44. Padua
  45. Palermo
  46. Palestrina
  47. Pantelleria
  48. Parma
  49. Pavia
  50. Pisa
  51. Pompeii
  52. Ponza
  53. Portici
  54. Possagno
  55. Pozzuoli
  56. Raiano
  57. Ravenna
  58. Rieti
  59. Rimini
  60. Rivodutri
  61. Rome
  62. Rovereto
  63. Rovigo
  64. San Gimignano
  65. Sanremo
  66. Santa Maria Capua Vetere
  67. Segni
  68. Siena
  69. Sirmione
  70. Soriano Nel Cimino
  71. Sperlonga
  72. Stromboli
  73. Syracuse
  74. Torre Annunziata
  75. Trapani
  76. Treviso
  77. Trieste
  78. Turin
  79. Venice
  80. Ventotene
  81. Vernazza
  82. Verona
  83. Vicenza
  84. Viterbo
  85. Volterra

Unusual Attractions in Italy

See All 975 Things To Do in Italy

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Italy

See all 10 Places to Eat in Italy
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Italian Food & Wine: Eating Regionally

Savor local cuisine across Rome, Florence & Venice.

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Explore Italy

Sacred Spaces 142
History & Culture 130
Churches 121
Ruins 102
Roman 99
Medieval 78
Ancient 77
Art 73

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Stories About Italy

A woman loading zucca violina into a van.

This Italian City Is Obsessed With Squash

Ferrara is the place for all things pumpkin.
by Elena Valeriote
A Calabrian citron in Michele Cirelli's orchard. A perfect etrog like this one, with its characteristic bumps and ridges and a skin free from blemishes, can fetch hundreds of dollars in New York or Montreal.

Every Year, Rabbis Search Calabria for the Perfect Etrog

An ideal fruit can go for as much as $300.
by John Last
Pizza alla Napoletana from Pellegrino Artusi's 1891 recipe.

Make 19th-Century 'Neapolitan Pizza' for Dessert

This "exquisite" recipe comes from the book that created our modern concept of Italian food.
by Andrew Coletti
Left: Artusi's grave monument in Cimitero delle Porte Sante, Florence. Right: the first edition cover of Scienza in cucina highlights the cookbook's three major themes: "hygiene, economy, and good taste."

This Book Created Italian Food as We Know It

In the early days of unified Italy, Pellegrino Artusi helped forge a national cuisine.
by Andrew Coletti
One of the bells dates back to the year 1,000 C.E., which can be seen in the Marinelli Bell Museum.

The Italian Bells That Survived Nazis, Fires, and Even the Medieval Ages

One family has been making bells for over 1,000 years—and now wants to send them to the Moon.
by Asia London Palomba
This ancient dodecahedron found in Avenches, Switzerland, once the Roman city of Aventicum.

The Mysterious Dodecahedrons of the Roman Empire

The first of many of these puzzling objects was unearthed almost three centuries ago, and we still don't know what they were for.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think
Every year on May 1st the small town of Cocullo in central Italy celebrates its patron saint San Domenico Abate. The celebration resembles many other Catholic festivities, but during this religious procession the saint's statue is fully covered with living snakes.

The Italian Town that Welcomes Spring with Live Snakes

It's a good omen if the reptiles wrap themselves around the head of San Domenico Abate.
by Dania Rodrigues
Dating back to the 11th century, San Severino di Centola was abandoned in the 1970s.

How to Keep a Medieval Ghost Town Ghostly

Step 1: Buy it. Step 2: Maybe a poetry reading?
by Vittoria Traverso

Lists Featuring Italy

Inside the Golden House.
The Colosseum seen from the Ludus Magnus.
St. Francesca Romana

The 11 Most Interesting Places to Visit Near the Colosseum for Curious Travelers

11

Including Domus Aurea, Ludus Magnus, and Santa Francesca Romana

The crostata, with the storefront in the background.

7 Extraordinary Jewish Restaurants Around the World

A global map of diverse delights.

7

Including Pasticceria 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.

10

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.

13

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

They were built in 1979.
The Howe Street stair corridor is the longest in Seattle.
Seward Street Slides

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight

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

9

Including Secret Tiled Staircase, Esmeralda Slide Park, 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?

11

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

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