Albala's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
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.
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.
Rome, Italy

Mercatus Traiani (Trajan's Market)

This ancient market is often referred to as the oldest shopping mall in the world.
Milan, Italy

The Devil's Column

The mark of the Devil's horns on a marble column in Milan.
Palermo, Italy

Cappella Palatina

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.
Rome, Italy

Elephant and Obelisk

A detailed pachyderm supports Rome's smallest Egyptian obelisk.
Bologna, Italy

Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio

In the world's oldest university is a stunning 17th century anatomical theater carved from spruce.
Palermo, Italy

San Giovanni degli Eremiti

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.
Riomaggiore, Italy

Via dell’Amore

A lover's walk between hilltop towns, decorated with graffiti love notes.
Rome, Italy

Cloaca Maxima

The "Greatest Sewer" of ancient Rome is one of the oldest sewer systems in the world, and is still in use.
Rome, Italy

Monte Testaccio

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.
Rome, Italy

Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio

More sculpture than building, this architecturally significant temple was built on the spot of Saint Peter's crucifixion.
Florence, Italy

Il Porcellino

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

L’importuno di Michelangelo

The famous sculptor left his mark on this Italian wall in an internationally protected example of street art.
Rome, Italy

Campo de Fiori

This ritzy Italian market is built around a statue of an unforgiven heretic who was burned for his belief in an endless universe.
Vernazza, Italy

Cinque Terre

Five candy-colored villages on the Italian Riviera.
Rome, Italy

The Catacombs of San Sebastian

Jesus' footprints and the first catacombs in the world.
Rome, Italy

The Protestant Cemetery

The final resting place of the poets Shelley and Keats.
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

Via Appia

2300-year-old Roman road connecting the empire.
Palermo, Italy

Capuchin Monastery Catacombs

Thousands of well-dressed mummies below a monastery.
Rome, Italy

Pyramid of Cestius

The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus.
Rome, Italy

The Mithraeum at Circus Maximus

The underground sanctuary of a mysterious ancient cult.
Rome, Italy

The Mouth of Truth

The yawning maw of this pagan visage is said to bite off the hands of liars.