lo13's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Santana, Portugal

Casas Típicas de Santana

These small, triangular, colorful houses are a staple of Madeira Island.
Funchal, Portugal

CR7 Museum

A shrine-like museum entirely dedicated to soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Funchal, Portugal

'Plastic Mero'

Crafted from ocean litter, this sculpture highlights the ills of overconsumption.
Monte, Portugal

Toboggan Ride from Monte to Funchal

Men in rubber-soled boots serve as your "brakes" on this toboggan ride Hemingway described as "exhilarating."
Câmara de Lobos, Portugal

Cabo Girão Skywalk

This glass skywalk offers vertiginous views down the volcanic cliffs to the beach below.
Ponta do Pargo, Portugal

Ponta do Pargo Lighthouse

Portugal’s highest lighthouse has one of the most impressive focal planes in the world.
São Miguel, Portugal

Gorreana Tea Plantation

Europe's oldest still-operational tea farm also boasts a spectacular view.
São Miguel, Portugal

Lagoa das Sete Cidades (Lagoon of the Seven Cities)

Legend has it the lovelorn tears of a princess and a shepherd boy formed the blue and green twin lakes in the Azores archipelago.
São Miguel, Portugal

Hotel Monte Palace

This abandoned five-star hotel is now a five-star urban exploration destination.
Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.
Venice, Italy

Portrait of the Four Tetrarchs

This Roman statue is missing a limb from when the Venetians stole it from Constantinople during the Crusades.
Venice, Italy

Reliquaries of St Mark's Basilica Treasury

An extensive collection of reliquaries containing the bones of saints housed in the largest Catholic church in Venice.
Venice, Italy

Scuola Grande di San Marco

The marble facade hides a little-known medical museum with early surgical instruments and rare copies of canonical texts.
Venice, Italy

Church of San Giacomo di Rialto

According to tradition this is the oldest church in Venice, but its actual age is a mystery.
Venice, Italy

Tomb of Antonio Canova

A sinister pyramid in the Frari contains the heart of the famous neoclassical sculptor.
Venice, Italy

Squero di San Trovaso

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.
Venice, Italy

Palazzo Dario

Those who own or stay at this 500-year-old, allegedly cursed house often meet terrible fates.
Bologna, Italy

Towers of Bologna

Over 100 towers were built in Bologna during the Middle Ages, but only 22 survive.
Bologna, Italy

Monument to Fallen Partisans

A striking memorial recalls thousands of Bolognese men and women killed fighting fascists in World War II.
Bologna, Italy

Fountain of Neptune

Legend has it this fountain built to symbolize the Pope’s power hides a strange secret concerning Neptune's manliness.
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

Studiolo Francesco I de’ Medici

Secret refuge and museum of the Duke of Florence.