Places Edited by Sommer Mathis

This picturesque Umbrian city has a subterranean side that has long remained hidden.

Communism's topsy-turvy effect on Poland has been brought to life in this wacky tourist trap.

One of the largest producers of MSG in the world welcomes visitors to its Kawasaki factory with an albino panda named Aji-Kun.

The remains of a former logging boom town, crumbled away in the forest.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

This piece of Australian modern art is part joke and part history.

An old vending machine serves up unpredictable beverages from its seemingly magical insides.

This giant statue is the product of a mixture of corruption, Stalinist architecture, and North Korean manpower.

This historic recreationist school churns out warriors that may very well have had a fighting chance in Rome's pits of the day.

A rancher expanding a natural spring for his cattle came up with bones – lots and lots of them.

For just a few bucks, this Iowa funicular will let you feel like an 1800s fat cat.

In one Chicago park, a trio of werewolves are waiting to devour their fallen brethren.

A reversed traffic signal that was once violently misinterpreted as a statement on British-Irish relations.

It’s not hard to see why the historic Peabody Conservatory of Music’s library has been described as a “cathedral of books.”

A part of the world's largest marsh seems to be growing bright red Martian grass.

This wrecked airplane has been sitting on a black sand beach since the 1970s.

This jaw-dropping 19th-century bridge uses its reflection to form what appears to be a perfect circle.

This foolish Victorian sea fort was converted to a deluxe hotel.

A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.

Chicago's museum dedicated to the history of bondage and fetishism is more textbook than titillation.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

The second largest in the world, this massive underground void has its own subway.

Staves, storm-calling, and of course, necropants.

A Scottish manor with a history of mysterious fires, magic, and eccentric tales