Elgin, Scotland
Dandy Lion
A baffling beast so absurd a town councilman called it "intellectual vomit in technicolor."
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Elgin, Scotland
A baffling beast so absurd a town councilman called it "intellectual vomit in technicolor."
Stonehaven, Scotland
The ruins of this gorgeous clifftop castle look like something from a fantasy novel.
Paris, France
A series of abstract, silly sculptures represent the works of a great modern classical composer.
Paris, France
A Parisian cemetery where the elite and artistic are interred beneath an eccentric collection of tombs.
Segni, Italy
At this medieval church, Thomas Beckett was cantonized as a martyr.
Veroli, Italy
A Roman calendar dating to the first century is tucked away in a small town alley.
Rome, Italy
According to local folklore, this Roman sepulcher was once a throne for the Devil.
Turin, Italy
The intricate geometry inside this Baroque-style dome was designed to create "terror of the human soul."
Turin, Italy
This fountain is dedicated to the workers who perished constructing the Fréjus Rail Tunnel.
Isola del Liri, Italy
Italy's only urban waterfall has enchanted artists and travelers for centuries.
Segni, Italy
The hilltop town of Segni was once home to an ancient Roman colony and garrison.
Terracina, Italy
A Roman temple perched over an Italian town, forgotten several times over.
Lecce, Italy
A long-buried ancient ruin unearthed right in the middle of the city.
Furore, Italy
A narrow opening between the mountains of the Amalfi Coast creates a scenic hidden beach.
Ravenna, Italy
An incredible mosaic-lined monument said to have held the remains of an ancient Roman empress.
Rome, Italy
A rather vulgar example of the transition from Latin to the Italian vernacular.
Turin, Italy
When this funny little building went up in the 19th century, most people thought it would simply fall over.
Rome, Italy
Romans decided this 16th-century "talking statue" was so ugly, they named it after a primate.
Lucca, Italy
This bustling Italian plaza is built on the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.
Turin, Italy
Now an entertainment complex, the Lingotto building was once an avant-garde auto factory with a test track on the roof.
L'Aquila, Italy
A medieval fountain lined with 99 unique stone faces whose origins and meaning remain unknown.
Rome, Italy
Inside this McDonald's you can dine on your Big Mac and fries next to a 2,500-year-old Roman wall.
Ferentillo, Italy
Naturally preserved bodies are eerily staged throughout the crypt in varying poses.
Andria, Italy
Geometry and mystery come together in an epic show of octagonal masonry.