Places Edited by Dylan Thuras

A 59-ft. robot statue looks over the citizens of earthquake-ravaged Kobe.

Pompeii's less famous neighbor is still revealing her secrets.

A font of vintage porn on the silver screen.

A small statue of child Jesus given by Magellan in 1521

A faux desert landscape in the middle of the jungle that sprouts oases during the rainy season.

For nearly 2,000 years this church has been waging war on local snakes by importing cats.

Barely visible foundations remain where Stow Lake’s “observatory” once welcomed visitors.

Sacred waters rescued from the wrath of a volcano.

An Escher-inspired library dedicated to the wonders of the human mind, yet closed to the public.

A harem-inspired Moorish fantasy design in a Victorian-era Welsh castle.

Peek through a transparent pyramid and drink in the mountain made of books.

The former locus of Boston's high culture has been shuttered and buried for over 70 years.

Minimalist modern art on a repurposed military base in rural Texas.

Olfactory delights in San Francisco's Botanical Gardens.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

On a quiet suburban street stands a peculiarly decorated house covered in mosaics.

Created by one of England's most prolific labyrinth designers, inspired by Bath city history.

Bug-devouring flora are the stars of a special wing of the glass conservatory.

Whisper secrets in a busy station only to be heard on the other side of this acoustic arch.

An antique curios dealer and hybrid taxidermist.

The largest cave shaft in the world is home to thousands of birds and popular with BASE jumpers.

An extraordinary collection of 18th century anatomical waxworks.

An abandoned guano-mining city in the South Pacific.

A freighter full of exotic animals ends a harrowing voyage impaled on uncharted rocks in the Boston Harbor.