Nikki Vargas's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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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.
Rome, Italy

The Mouth of Truth

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

Torre Argentina (Roman Cat Sanctuary)

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.
Barcelona, Spain

Park Güell

Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.
Barcelona, Spain

Mirador de Colom (Columbus Monument)

A vista of the city and sea from atop the little-known viewing deck on an unassuming Columbus statue.
Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família

Construction of Barcelona's iconic (but controversial) church is expected to be completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.
Barcelona, Spain

Casa Batlló

One of Antoni Gaudí's most classic buildings is well-known for its "dragon-back" design.
Barcelona, Spain

Street Performers of Las Ramblas

The iconic boulevard is the perfect place to catch sight of a bicycling skeleton, a levitating Satan, or a chef with his head stuck in a pizza.
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Caminito

A bright little alley in La Boca is a part of tango history.
East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Padar Island

Once home to Komodo dragons, this island dreamscape has a rare combination of white, pink, and black sand beaches.
East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Komodo National Park

A sprawling nature preserve harbors the world's only living dragons.
Ubud, Indonesia

Sacred Monkey Forest (Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana)

Hindu temple of the dead home to hundreds of long-tailed macaques.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Harpa

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Hallgrimskirkja

One of the tallest buildings in Iceland, and perhaps, the most visually impressive.
Fatehpur Sikri, India

Fatehpur Sikri

An imperial fortress city that incorporated cultural elements from the entire Mughal empire, only to be abandoned the year it was finished.
Santa Catalina, Colombia

The Volcan de Lodo El Totumo

The caldera of this mini-volcano has been turned into a naturally heated mud bath.
Paris, France

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.
New York, New York

Roosevelt Island Cat Sanctuary

The feral felines of Roosevelt Island have a small army of allies and an abandoned hospital all to themselves.
New York, New York

Roosevelt Island Tramway

One of only two commuter aerial tramways in the United States.