mjvinue's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Rome, Italy

Santa Francesca Romana

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.
Rome, Italy

The Water Clock

This hydrochronometer was invented by a Dominican monk and is a prime feature in this garden.
Rome, Italy

Mamertine Prison

This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross not as blasphemy but as saintly tribute.
Rome, Italy

Mercatus Traiani (Trajan's Market)

This ancient market is often referred to as the oldest shopping mall in the world.
Rome, Italy

Campo de Fiori

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.
Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of San Sebastian

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

Domus Aurea

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

The Wax-Encased Remains of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

The mystic whose incorrupt corpse still attracts the faithful.
Rome, Italy

Natural Monument of Galeria Antica

An Italian ghost town that fought obscurity, until a mysterious illness brought it to its knees.
Chieti, Italy

The Warrior of Capestrano

One of the earliest relics of Italian art is this ornately equipped stone soldier.
Rome, Italy

The Dome Illusion

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

Antoninus and Faustina Temple

An ancient Roman temple first dedicated to an emperor's wife is now a church.
Rome, Italy

Sisinnius Fresco in the Basilica San Clemente

A rather vulgar example of the transition from Latin to the Italian vernacular.
Rome, Italy

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

One of Catholicism's four major basilicas has a series of papal portraits that are said to predict the end of the world.
Rome, Italy

Basilica of San Crisogono

Remnants of a 4th-century church with vivid medieval frescoes and ancient sarcophagi hide beneath this old basilica.
Rome, Italy

The Sweating Cenotaph at the Archbasilica San Giovanni in Laterano

Stone memorial that's said to predict the death of the pope and the site of the Cadaver Synod.
Rome, Italy

Borromini's Perspective Gallery of Palazzo Spada

This gallery commissioned by Cardinal Spada is known for its magnificent optical illusion.
Rome, Italy

The Martyr Murals at Santo Stefano Rotondo

Charles Dickens was not a fan of the ghastly wall dressings in this 6th century church.
Rome, Italy

Elephant and Obelisk

A detailed pachyderm supports Rome's smallest Egyptian obelisk.
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

Basilica di San Clemente

A Nesting Doll of Churches.
Rome, Italy

Museum of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

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

Zuccari Palace

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

St. Valentine's Skull

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