Verena's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Lucca, Italy

Piazza dell'Anfiteatro

This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.
Pisa, Italy

'Tuttomondo'

A local student's chance encounter with Keith Haring led to the creation of one of Europe's largest murals.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

City Hall Urinal

A public urinal so pretty, it was declared a national monument.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Tulip Museum

Tucked in the back of a flower shop, its collection details the fascinating history of the Netherlands's iconic symbol.
Lisse, Netherlands

Keukenhof Gardens

Unsurprisingly, Holland is home to one of the most magnificent flower gardens in the world.
Prague, Czechia

Prague Astronomical Clock

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.
Padua, Italy

St. Anthony's Tongue

The incorrupt tongue of the patron saint of lost things is venerated in this basilica.
Padua, Italy

Prato della Valle

One of the largest squares in Europe contains an entire artificial island.
Padua, Italy

Palazzo del Bo Anatomical Theater

The world's oldest surviving anatomical theater, where "the dead are pleased to help the living."
Padua, Italy

Capital Without Column

Something's missing between the arcades of the Palazzo della Ragione in "the city of the three withouts."
Padua, Italy

Padua Astronomical Clock

One of the world's oldest working clocks is curiously missing the Zodiac sign of Libra.
Padua, Italy

'Memoria e Luce'

A twisted steel beam from the wreckage of the World Trade Center is the centerpiece of this memorial for those who died on September 11, 2001.
Padua, Italy

Scrovegni Chapel

Built to repay the sins of the father, this church is home to one of the most valuable works of Western art.
Padua, Italy

Tempio della Pace (Temple of Peace)

The people of Padua pledged to construct this church if the city was spared from destruction during World War I.
Stra, Italy

Villa Pisani Labirinto

A complex, nine-layer maze on the grounds of a Venetian doge's playground.
Venice, Italy

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

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

Palazzo Dario

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

Peggy Guggenheim's Grave

The only museum with its curator—and her pets—buried inside.
Venice, Italy

Squero di San Trovaso

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

Ponte dei Pugni (Bridge of Fists)

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.
Venice, Italy

Church of Santa Margherita

This deconsecrated church has seen many uses, from a tobacco storehouse to a cinema.
Venice, Italy

Tomb of Antonio Canova

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