Nicky777's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Rome, Italy

Porta Alchemica

An alchemist's "magic door" stands in the middle of a Roman park.
Rome, Italy

Santa Francesca Romana

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.
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.
Vatican City

La Resurrezione

If you want to talk to the Pope you will have to stare down this surreal vision of Jesus rising from a nuclear hell.
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

The Dome Illusion

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

Basilica di San Clemente

A Nesting Doll of Churches.
Rome, Italy

St. Valentine's Skull

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

The Head of St. John the Baptist at San Silvestro in Capite

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.
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."
Chartres, France

Labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral

The famous winding walk at Chartres is surrounded in mystery and myth.
Paris, France

Musée des Arts Forains

A museum of carnival attractions where you are invited to ride the rides.
Paris, France

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.
Paris, France

Arènes de Lutèce

Remains of Roman amphitheater hidden in a sleepy quarter of Paris.
Paris, France

Museum of Vampires

The macabre collection of Jacques Sirgent, an expert scholar on the undead and all of their trappings.
Paris, France

The Last Original Standard Metre

An overlooked marble is the only surviving in-place 18th century example of the measurement that changed how we define distance.
Paris, France

The Wax and Bone Relics of Saint Vincent de Paul

Saintly bones pressed into a wax effigy of a Catholic superstar.
Paris, France

Chapelle Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse

A popular shrine where the Blessed Virgin allegedly appeared in 1830, displaying a holy armchair and two incorruptible remains of Lady Saints.
Paris, France

Père Lachaise Cemetery

France's most famous cemetery, with some of its most curious tombs.
Paris, France

La Conciergerie

This former “ante-chamber to the guillotine” has been refurbished to illustrate the brutal history of French justice.
Paris, France

Centre Pompidou

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.
Paris, France

Montmartre Cemetery

A horde of stray cats rule in this secluded Parisian cemetery under a bridge.
Paris, France

Le Défenseur du Temps (The Defender of Time)

A mechanized clock where a man fights off a dragon, crab, and rooster.
Paris, France

I Love You Wall

Paris' linguistic guide to the international language of, yes, love.