ella26's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Verona, Italy

Scaliger Tombs

These elaborate gothic monuments honor Verona's medieval lords.
Verona, Italy

Sant'Anastasia Basilica

A gorgeous example of 13th-century Gothic architecture.
Winchester, England

The Great West Window

This cathedral's stained-glass patchwork of psychedelic colors and shapes was put in place long before the swinging 60s.
Mantua, Italy

Dropped Triglyphs of Palazzo Te

An architectural oddity where the triglyphs of the courtyard of walls create an optical illusion.
Corte Pequena, Portugal

Capela de Nossa Senhora de Aracelis

Before this rocky hill was home to a chapel, it was used as a lookout by Romans and Moors.
Denbighshire, Wales

Castell Dinas Bran

These precariously placed ruins harken back to a 13th-century castle.
Llantysilio, Wales

Valle Crucis Abbey

This ancient abbey now lies in majestic ruin behind a caravan park.
Kaftarhana, Uzbekistan

Fayaz Tepe

The foundation of this ancient stupa dates back to the 1st-century.
Aswan, Egypt

Monastery of St. Simeon

This 7th-century monastery was sacked by Saladin.
Abu AR Rish Qebli, Egypt

Tombs of the Nobles

A network of ancient Egyptian tombs built into the cliff face along the Nile.
Al Ula, Saudi Arabia

Lion Tombs of Dadan

Lions carved into the rockface adorn these two tombs built into the mountains of Dadan.
Yazd, Iran

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence

Putrefaction plateaus in Iran, where the dead were sent for decontamination before going to their final resting place.
Istanbul, Turkey

Ottoman Bird Palaces

The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.
Istanbul, Turkey

Beylerbeyi Palace

This former Imperial summer home was the venue for a royal slap that once echoed 'round the world.
Chipping Norton, England

Rollright Stones

This trio of neolithic stone monuments are fabled to be a king and his knights that were petrified by a witch.
Ireland

The Lost Town of Newtown Jerpoint (Jerpoint Park)

Local legend says the remains of Father Christmas lie within the medieval grounds.
Reyes Etla, Mexico

Santuario del Señor de las Peñas

This small church is surrounded by a landscape filled with hidden Zapotec ruins.
Saint-Evroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois, France

Ruins of Abbey of Saint-Evroul

This 1,400-year-old abbey was once a powerhouse for music and intellectualism known across Normandy.
Falaise, France

Château de Falaise

The birthplace of the ferocious William the Conqueror, this castle is awash in medieval history.
Corbridge, England

Aydon Castle

This medieval manor house was hastily fortified when it found itself in the middle of the Scottish fight for independence.
Arquà Petrarca, Italy

Casa del Petrarca (Petrarch House Museum)

A modest museum in the final home of Italian poet and father of modern Italian, Francesco Petrarca.
Gormaz, Spain

Castle of Gormaz

This Arab fortress was once the largest citadel in Western Europe.
Sirmione, Italy

Scaligero Castle

One of the most well-preserved castles in Italy also contains a rare medieval example of a port fortification.
Malbork, Poland

Malbork Castle

This 13th century Gothic brick castle is the largest in the world by surface area.