Places Edited by Martin

A little piece of Paris in the sultry south of the U.S.

St. Francesca Romana, patron saint of drivers, resides in the church she founded.

A full figure 4th century incorruptible saint lies in a glass coffin in Croatia.

Church in Manhattan holds the bloody sock of Padre Pio, among with many other unusual relics.

Relics given to a Manhattan church to avoid seizure by the Italian government.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

The uniquely-designed winter home and sculpture studio of Anna and Archer Huntington.

The sprawling, eccentric estate of Ames and Ames, a brilliant botanist, and a genius inventor and artist.

Debatably clever, or just plain honest hotel advertised as "The Worst Hotel in the World."

The long, arduous journey of the stones of the Abbey of New Clairvaux.

Seaside ruins of a settlement that date back to the first century B.C.

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

Natural rock formations resembling monks in hats inspire folk legends.

This unusual building straddles two countries.

Medieval town turned hippie commune, once home to the secret foreskin of Jesus Christ.

Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.

A collection of collections, including an anatomy museum, the “Cabinet of Physics of Alessandro Volta, a museum of natural history, mineral collection, and much much more...

The USSR’s Conquest of Nature lead to the domestication of many moose—no squirrel.

In oil-rich Azerbaijan, people bathe in the black stuff.

WWI hospital ship lost in a cyclone turns up on the coast of Fraser Island, where she remains rusted and forgotten.

This immaculate and historic water garden culminates in a massive stone dining table with an inset fountain for chilling the wine of the Cardinal's guests.

Where beautiful signs live on forever.

The miraculous hydrant that saved the Mission District in 1906.