deborah's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Orkney, Scotland
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Places visited in Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Places visited in Sibiu, Romania
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Places visited in Matera, Italy
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Places visited in Ercolano, Italy
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Matera, Italy

Chiesa del Purgatorio

Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.
Florence, Italy

The English Cemetery

Many famous English poets including Elizabeth Barrett Browning are laid to rest at this Swiss-owned cemetery in Florence.
Muggia, Italy

Bagno Della Polizia

These pools have been abandoned for over 20 years.
Cassino, Italy

Montecassino Abbey

This breathtaking monastery was established by Saint Benedict himself 1,500 years ago.
Matera, Italy

La Palomba

An abandoned quarry hides an open-air gallery of huge sculptures, some made from the rubble of 9/11.
Norcia, Italy

Bosco Italia

A map of Italy made entirely of trees.
Bari, Italy

Manna of St. Nicholas of Bari

A dead saint, a deadly poison, and a mysterious holy ooze.
Ercolano, Italy

Osservatorio Vesuviano (Vesuvius Observatory)

The oldest volcanology research center in the world.
Florence, Italy

Bronze Replica of Michelangelo’s David

A copy of the famous statue can be found in this Florence piazza, along with one of the most breathtaking views of the city below.
Pompeii, Italy

Stone Phalluses of Pompeii

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

Volo dell'Angelo

The steel cable lets adventurers zoom between two mountain towns at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.
Trieste, Italy

Risiera di San Sabba

During World War II, this rice mill became a Nazi concentration camp.
Venice, Italy

Piraeus Lion

Thousand-year-old Viking runes adorn an ancient Greek lion at the entrance to the Venetian Arsenal.
Rome, Italy

Palazzo Naiadi Roman Baths

Ancient ruins hidden underneath a modern luxury hotel.
Monopoli, Italy

Chiesa di Santa Maria del Suffragio detta del Purgatorio

Macabre symbols of death and mummies on display set the tone of this Italian purgatory church.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

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

Gipsoteca Bartolini

A slightly creepy gallery of plaster cast models in the same museum as Michelangelo's David.
Gubbio, Italy

Fontana Dei Matti

Fountain where visitors can earn a license to be mad.
L'Aquila, Italy

Fountain of 99 Spouts

A medieval fountain lined with 99 unique stone faces whose origins and meaning remain unknown.
Venice, Italy

Scuola Grande di San Marco

The marble facade hides a little-known medical museum with early surgical instruments and rare copies of canonical texts.
Rome, Italy

Mussolini's Balcony

The spot where the fascist dictator made some of his most famous speeches including declaring war on Britain and France.
Lecce, Italy

Vincent City

An eccentric artist's abode in this small Italian town has been transformed into a surreal temple of mosaic madness.
Otranto, Italy

Ossuary Chapel of the Cathedral of Otranto

A 1,000-year-old church holds the bones of the Christian martyrs who died hiding inside it.
Rome, Italy

Parish Church of Santa Maria del Popolo

A treasure trove of Renaissance-era funerary art in a Roman church built on top of Nero's grave.