gracers3's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Lido, Italy

Vartanush

Armenian monks at an island monastery in the Venetian Lagoon make a rare rose petal jam.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.
Venice, Italy

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.
Venice, Italy

The Flooded Crypt of San Zaccaria

As can be expected from a centuries old church built in a canal city, the undercroft of this house of worship is beautifully flooded.
Venice, Italy

The Mad Colored Houses of Burano

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.
Venice, Italy

Libreria Acqua Alta

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.
Palermo, Italy

Palazzo Chiaramonte

Haunting graffiti left by prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition.
Palermo, Italy

Cappella Palatina

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.
Palermo, Italy

San Giovanni degli Eremiti

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.
Palermo, Italy

The Martorana

This mosaic-lined medieval church was built by the world's first admiral and still holds mass in ancient Greek.
Florence, Italy

Museo Opificio delle Pietre Dure

Overlooked amid the tourist bustle of Florence, this museum is dedicated to the craft of stone inlay.
Florence, Italy

Stibbert Museum

Art and armour fill every inch of this rich kid's Italian villa.
Florence, Italy

Studiolo Francesco I de’ Medici

Secret refuge and museum of the Duke of Florence.
Florence, Italy

Babae Wine Window

Drink wine handed out through a window as part of an age-old tradition.
Florence, Italy

Buontalenti Grotta

A large grotto built in the 16th century amidst Florence's famous Boboli gardens.
Florence, Italy

Michelangelo's Hidden Drawings

The doodles of a genius line the walls of a secret room under the Medici Chapel, where they were hidden for nearly 500 years.
Florence, Italy

Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy

The oldest operating pharmacy in the world features 800-year-old recipes.
Bologna, Italy

Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio

In the world's oldest university is a stunning 17th century anatomical theater carved from spruce.
Naples, Italy

Sacristy of San Domenico Maggiore

The sacristy of this church contains remains and relics of members of the Aragonese royal family.
Naples, Italy

Via Port’Alba

This 17th-century passageway is home to numerous bookshops, a witch legend, and the oldest pizzeria in the world.
Naples, Italy

Il Giardino di Babuk

A surreal botanical garden with an even more surreal tour guide.
Naples, Italy

Fontana del Gigante

This monumental fountain has moved around the city multiple times.
Naples, Italy

Lipsanothecae of the Chapel of Saint Francesco de Geronimo

The relics of dozens of martyrs are stored in a single chapel.
Naples, Italy

Porcelain Boudoir of Maria Amalia of Saxony

A rococo room covered entirely in porcelain originally constructed for another royal residence.