During the Bronze Age (1100-800 BC), a group of people known as Celts lived in Ireland. Celts believed that forces such as wind, rain, and even moonlight were associated with spirits that had the power to grant favors to humans—if said spirits were treated with respect. Bronze Age Celts built structures—such as stone circles that…
The sunny desert city of Jodhpur in India is famous for buildings that are as blue as the sparkling waters of the Caribbean. Local lore states that Indian priests known as Brahmins painted their houses blue to signal their ties to royalty and their high social status. Some historians theorize that the copper sulfate in…
Ever since the ruins of a series of Roman temples known as Largo di Torre Argentina were excavated in 1929, residents of Rome have been releasing unwanted cats at the site. For nearly a century, countless former housecats and strays have sunbathed, strutted across the temple ruins like furry royalty, and napped on the Curia…
In the 1600s, a Swiss priest converted an alpine cave into a chapel and hermitage. For centuries, pilgrims traveled to attend church in one of Europe‘s most rustic chapels. After the last hermit died in the mid-1800s, the hermitage was converted into an inn known as Berggasthaus Aescher Wildkirchli that offered food and lodging to…
In the mid-20th century, a young man from the Nong Khai province in Thailand named Bunleua Sulilat claimed that he wandered into a cave and met a religious hermit named Keo Ou and became Keo Ou’s disciple. After Sulilat parted ways with his spiritual master, Sulilat was inspired to create a universal religion. Sulilat amassed…
Italy is famous for its luxury spas where patrons pay extravagant sums of money to soak in mineral pools and receive curative hydrotherapy treatments. One of Italy’s best-kept secrets is a towering waterfall that doubles as a natural hot spring in Bagni San Filippo, Italy, known as Fosso Bianco. Locals lovingly refer to Fosso Bianco…
A city as illustrious and ancient as Rome is bound to have a few hidden ruins. In the late 1990s, a team of archaeologists unearthed an ancient Roman apartment complex surrounded by stately pools that was located underground in close proximity to Rome’s magnificent Trevi Fountain. When the site was discovered, the most exciting revelation…
In the late 1500s, an extreme drought caused a devastating famine in the Ligurian region of Italy. The authorities believed the intense famine was caused by sinister supernatural forces, such as witchcraft. Local authorities began to accuse women of witchcraft in the mountain town of Triora. Women—especially poor women, single mothers, and prostitutes—were imprisoned, tortured,…
