Scabbington's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

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

Stone Phalluses of Pompeii

The walls and streets of the ancient city are peppered with penises.
Sciacca, Italy

Il Castello Incantato

A madman's personal garden filled with 1,000 sculpted heads.
Palermo, Italy

The Martorana

This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.
Rome, Italy

Cinecittà

The studio built by fascists in the hopes of "reviving the film industry" with the occasional propaganda film opportunity thrown in.
Florence, Italy

Il Porcellino

This bronze boar's snout has been rubbed to a golden sheen by visitors seeking good fortune.
Milan, Italy

L.O.V.E.

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.
Rome, Italy

Meridian Line of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs

Installed in an act of one-upsmanship, the annual sundial in this church is also a symbolic victory for the Gregorian calendar.
Rome, Italy

Vigna Randanini

One of seven Jewish catacombs in Rome and one of only two open to the public.
Rome, Italy

Passetto di Borgo

The Pope’s secret escape route.