daveschaaf's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Gadmen, Switzerland

Trift Bridge

This amazing pedestrian suspension bridge in the Swiss Alps would give Indiana Jones nightmares.
Andermatt, Switzerland

Teufelsbrucke

A breathtaking bridge that crosses a vast gorge over a river's torrents, and has a tale of a devil architect attached.
Obergoms VS, Switzerland

Hotel Belvédère

A once-thriving hotel in the Swiss Alps couldn't compete with climate change.
Hauterives, France

Le Palais Idéal

This whimsical castle of grottoes was the labor of love of a French postman, and one of the greatest achievements of outsider architecture.
Turin, Italy

Medieval Village

A fake medieval village in the middle of Turin.
Turin, Italy

Cesare Lombroso's Museum of Criminal Anthropology

The astonishing collection of an infamous criminologist.
Turin, Italy

Fiat Lingotto Factory

Now an entertainment complex, the Lingotto building was once an avant-garde auto factory with a test track on the roof.
Sant'Ambrogio di Torino, Italy

Sacra di San Michele

The mountaintop inspiration for Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose."
Pont-en-Royans, France

Suspended Houses of Pont-en-Royans

These quaint French houses dangle precariously over a precipice.
Pianlivere, Italy

Cascate del Serio

The highest waterfall in Italy is only "turned on" five times a year.
Padua, Italy

Botanical Garden of Padua - Orto botanico di Padova

The oldest botanical garden in the world that technically isn't the oldest.
Padua, Italy

Tomb of Antenor

The tomb of the mythological founder of Padua is not hidden in some obscure crypt, but stands right in the middle of the city square.
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

Padua Astronomical Clock

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

The Living Chess Game - Partita a Scacchi di Marostica

Machismo turned on its head: the lady's hand goes to the dude with the bigger brain.
Vilminore di Scalve, Italy

Gleno Dam

The sinister ruins of one of the worst dam failures of the 20th century lie in this astonishing alpine setting.
San Martino della Battaglia, Italy

Ossario di San Martino

The skulls and bones of thousands of soldiers line the walls of this small Italian chapel.
Italy

Road of 52 Tunnels

This Italian foot path winds through the mountains via 52 individual tunnels.
Ferrara di Monte Baldo, Italy

Santuario Madonna della Corona

This centuries-old Italian chapel hangs midway down a sheer cliffside.
Tremosine, Italy

Strada della Forra

This winding road through an Italian canyon may be the most scenic drive in the world.
Bologna, Italy

Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio

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

Ponte della Maddalena

A stunning bridge that appears as if it's lunging to the shore, and has a legend of a devilish architect.
San Marcello Pistoiese, Italy

Ponte Sospeso

A factory director designed what was the world's longest suspension footbridge in 1923 so his employees could get to work safely.