All Italy

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Italy

952 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Italy

Updated September 20, 2023

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Cities

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

Unusual Attractions in Italy

See All 952 Things To Do in Italy

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Italy

See all 10 Places to Eat in Italy
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Sacred Spaces 142
History & Culture 124
Churches 118
Ruins 102
Roman 99
Medieval 78
Ancient 76
Art 72

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Stories About Italy

Pizza alla Napoletana from Pellegrino Artusi's 1891 recipe.

Make 19th-Century 'Neapolitan Pizza' for Dessert

This "exquisite" recipe comes from the book that created our modern concept of Italian food.
by Andrew Coletti
Left: Artusi's grave monument in Cimitero delle Porte Sante, Florence. Right: the first edition cover of Scienza in cucina highlights the cookbook's three major themes: "hygiene, economy, and good taste."

This Book Created Italian Food as We Know It

In the early days of unified Italy, Pellegrino Artusi helped forge a national cuisine.
by Andrew Coletti
One of the bells dates back to the year 1,000 C.E., which can be seen in the Marinelli Bell Museum.

The Italian Bells That Survived Nazis, Fires, and Even the Medieval Ages

One family has been making bells for over 1,000 years—and now wants to send them to the Moon.
by Asia London Palomba
This ancient dodecahedron found in Avenches, Switzerland, once the Roman city of Aventicum.

The Mysterious Dodecahedrons of the Roman Empire

The first of many of these puzzling objects was unearthed almost three centuries ago, and we still don't know what they were for.
by Frank Jacobs, Big Think
Every year on May 1st the small town of Cocullo in central Italy celebrates its patron saint San Domenico Abate. The celebration resembles many other Catholic festivities, but during this religious procession the saint's statue is fully covered with living snakes.

The Italian Town that Welcomes Spring with Live Snakes

It's a good omen if the reptiles wrap themselves around the head of San Domenico Abate.
by Dania Rodrigues
Dating back to the 11th century, San Severino di Centola was abandoned in the 1970s.

How to Keep a Medieval Ghost Town Ghostly

Step 1: Buy it. Step 2: Maybe a poetry reading?
by Vittoria Traverso
Jupiter riding an eagle in a detail of Caravaggio’s painting.

A Hidden Caravaggio Masterpiece, An Inheritance Feud, and a Roman Villa up for Sale

The future of a mysterious painting by the famed 17th-century "rebel artist" hangs in the balance.
by Monika Schmitter
Archeoplastica founder, naturalist, and guide Enzo Suma has collected old plastics from Italian beaches to illustrate how long this waste survives in the ocean.

The 'Archaeology' of Plastics Is an Exercise in Nostalgia and Dread

An Italian naturalist and guide has turned beach trash and memory into a commentary on our age.
by Alessio Perrone

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.

7 Extraordinary Jewish Restaurants Around the World

A global map of diverse delights.

7

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.
The Howe Street stair corridor is the longest in Seattle.
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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