All Italy

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Italy

1,057 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Italy

Updated April 21, 2025

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Albano Laziale
  2. Anacapri
  3. Anagni
  4. Ascoli Piceno
  5. Asiago
  6. Bacoli
  7. Bagolino
  8. Bassano Del Grappa
  9. Bergamo
  10. Bologna
  11. Bolzano
  12. Bordighera
  13. Borgo A Mozzano
  14. Brescia
  15. Caprarola
  16. Capri
  17. Castel Sant'elia
  18. Cefalù
  19. Chioggia
  20. Chiusdino
  21. Civitavecchia
  22. Collodi
  23. Como
  24. Coreglia Antelminelli
  25. Cori
  26. Ercolano
  27. Florence
  28. Genoa
  29. Gubbio
  30. Iglesias
  31. Imola
  32. Lainate
  33. Lampedusa E Linosa
  34. L'aquila
  35. Lecce
  36. Lido
  37. Livorno
  38. Lucca
  39. Mantua
  40. Matera
  41. Messina
  42. Milan
  43. Modena
  44. Naples
  45. Noasca
  46. Orvieto
  47. Osimo
  48. Padua
  49. Palermo
  50. Palestrina
  51. Pantelleria
  52. Parma
  53. Pavia
  54. Pisa
  55. Pompeii
  56. Ponza
  57. Portici
  58. Possagno
  59. Pozzuoli
  60. Raiano
  61. Ravenna
  62. Rieti
  63. Rimini
  64. Riola
  65. Rivodutri
  66. Rome
  67. Rovereto
  68. Rovigo
  69. San Gimignano
  70. Sanremo
  71. Santa Maria Capua Vetere
  72. Segni
  73. Siena
  74. Sirmione
  75. Soriano Nel Cimino
  76. Sperlonga
  77. Stromboli
  78. Syracuse
  79. Torre Annunziata
  80. Trapani
  81. Treviso
  82. Trieste
  83. Turin
  84. Venice
  85. Ventotene
  86. Vernazza
  87. Verona
  88. Vicenza
  89. Viggianello
  90. Viterbo
  91. Volterra

Unusual Attractions in Italy

See All 1,057 Things To Do in Italy

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Italy

See all 27 Places to Eat in Italy
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Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

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Explore Italy

Architecture 210
Sacred Spaces 142
History & Culture 141
Churches 133
Ruins 108
Roman 107
Ancient 83
Medieval 80

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Stories About Italy

The modern Budrio ocarina septet tours all over the world.

This Italian Town Really, Really Likes Ocarinas

Long before “The Legend of Zelda,” Budrio made ocarinas into a global phenomenon.
by Vittoria Traverso
The neuroscientist’s brain is brownish and small, but is otherwise virtually unchanged from the 1800s.

A Man in 19th-Century Italy Preserved His Own Brain to Fight Eugenics

Visit Turin to see the organ—and learn how to preserve your own.
by Dania Rodrigues
Rob Gentile flew to Sardinia to try and master one of the most intricate pastas on the planet.

The Quest to Save the World’s Rarest Pasta

For 300 years, only a handful of women in Sardinia possessed the skill to create “threads of God.”
by Diana Hubbell
In Pompeii, four individuals who perished together were long thought to be a mother, father, and their two children. New research says otherwise.

In Pompeii, the Dead Have New Stories to Tell

What we got wrong about some of the ancient city's most famous victims.
by Roxanne Hoorn
The Shroud of Turin, currently housed in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, was first shown publicly in the 14th century.

What Is the Shroud of Turin and Why Is It Controversial?

The centuries-old cloth has a long history of stoking both faith and skepticism.
by Eric Vanden Eykel
The major eruption of Mount Vesuvius over Pompeii is often known for the lives it took, but new research details the stories of the event’s survivors.

Found: Records of Pompeii's Survivors

New evidence shows how citizens rebuilt their lives in the aftermath of the historic eruption.
by Steven Tuck
Coriander or cilantro has a long history in Italy.

Why Italy Fell Out of Love With Cilantro

Coriander went from ancient staple to persona non grata.
by Andrew Coletti
You can use any type of onion to make a calendar, but the Eszlingers prefer yellow.

How to Consult an Onion Oracle

From the Midwest to a tiny town in Italy, the tradition of weather-predicting onions lives on.
by Roxanne Hoorn

Lists Featuring Italy

Inside the Golden House.
The Colosseum seen from the Ludus Magnus.
St. Francesca Romana

The 11 Most Interesting Places to Visit Near the Colosseum for Curious Travelers

11

Including Domus Aurea, Ludus Magnus, and Santa Francesca Romana

The crostata, with the storefront in the background.

12 Extraordinary Jewish Restaurants Around the World

A global map of diverse delights.

12

Including Pasticceria Boccione, Gottlieb's Restaurant, and Nahoum and Sons

Ponte di Cecco

10 Italian Sites Shrouded in Mystery and Legend

The places that inspire one of our top contributors to want to learn more.

10

Including Gaiola Island, Ponte di Cecco, and Church of San Giacomo di Rialto

Madaba Mosaic Map
The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling
Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

13

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium Globe

They were built in 1979.
Near the top of the stairs (January 2025)
Seward Street Slides

When Stairs and Slides Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Play real-life Chutes and Ladders at these obscure thruways.

9

Including Secret Tiled Staircase, Esmeralda Slide Park, and Howe Street Stairs

(Flickr/andreakw)
The bathroom
Some of the decorations include broken crockery that have been priced back together

11 Homes Transformed Into Amazing Mosaics

If you own your property, why not bedazzle it?

11

Including Wyckoff Street Mosaic, La Maison Picassiette, and House of Mirrors

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