benetruce's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Paris, France

The Bouquinistes of Paris

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.
Paris, France

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.
Genoa, Italy

Palazzo San Giorgio

Once home to one of the oldest banks in the world, this building is also where Marco Polo's famous travelogue was written.
Genoa, Italy

Roman Polanski's Neptune

Massive galleon from a box-office bomb docked in Genoa.
Istanbul, Turkey

The Museum of Innocence

This museum was invented in a novel before being made real by the author.
Istanbul, Turkey

Basilica Cisterns of Istanbul

A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.
Capri, Italy

Villa Jovis

The Emperor Tiberius' palace of debauchery.
Capri, Italy

Arco Naturale (Natural Arch)

This clifftop arch is a natural stunner.
Schnals, Italy

Campanile di Curon

Bell tower juts out from a village buried under a lake.
Prague, Czechia

Paternoster Lift

This doorless 20th-century elevator doesn't stop or slow down.
Prague, Czechia

David ÄŚernĂ˝'s Embryo

One of the famous Czech artist's lesser-known Prague installations appears to be a glowing fetus affixed to a drainpipe.
Prague, Czechia

The Penguins at Kampa Park

A series of playful yellow penguins share a serious message about the environment.
Prague, Czechia

Defenestration of Prague Window

The palace window through which Protestant nobles flung two Catholic regents, thus sparking the Thirty Years' War.
Prague, Czechia

TanÄŤĂ­cĂ­ dĹŻm - Dancing House of Prague

This tipsy office building in downtown Prague was originally called “Fred and Ginger.”
Prague, Czechia

Statue of Franz Kafka

A surreal statue honoring Prague's favorite literary son.
Prague, Czechia

Prague Astronomical Clock

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.
Ascona, Switzerland

Monte VeritĂ 

The Swiss hilltop housed an early 20th-century vegetarian nudist colony.
Asciano, Italy

Il Bosco della Ragnaia

Stumbling upon this whimsical wooded garden is like stepping into an enchanted forest full of philosophical musings.
Capriate San Gervasio, Italy

Crespi d’Adda Cemetery

A massive mausoleum towers over the gravestones in a 19th-century Italian "model village."
Milan, Italy

Bar Luce

A Milanese café entirely designed by the American director Wes Anderson.
Lanzo D'intelvi, Italy

Balcony of Italy (Balcone d'Italia)

The Sighignola summit on the Swiss border offers views so breathtaking it's been named one of the most beautiful places in Italy.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Dance of Death Bridge

This historic covered bridge contains a series of macabre paintings that communicate one thing: everyone dies.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen Swiss Guards of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.
Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

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