I have some friends who journal every morning and others who have never written for pleasure in their entire lives. I sit somewhere in the middle, putting pen to paper mostly in moments of intense rage and/or frustration. Do you keep a journal?
The Tuscan town of Pieve Santo Stefano holds more than 8,000 diaries—nearly three per capita—in its Archivio Diaristico Nazionale (ADN), or National Diary Archive. Many deal with war. Others with love, madness, or adventure. Together, these journals—written by Italians from every province and profession—comprise one of the richest testaments to the Italian experience available anywhere in the world. And some 200 more arrive each year.
Nestled beside the cherry blossoms of the Tidal Basin, the Japanese Pagoda is easy to miss, but its story spans centuries and continents. The granite monument was gifted to Washington, D.C., by the mayor of Yokohama in 1957 as a commemoration of early diplomatic ties between the countries.
David Goodman has spent a lifetime chasing the feeling that first drew him to travel: the promise of discovery. Inspired by his father’s stories from post-war Germany and the travel books he devoured as a teen, he left home at 18 with a ticket overseas and a desire to see what lay beyond the horizon.
P.S. —Do you have wonder to share? Atlas Obscura Members can now publish their own stories directly on our site, bringing more firsthand adventures, reflections, and discoveries into our community. Click here to sign up!
Unclaimed Baggage Center opened in 1970 and is now the size of a full city block, with more than 7,000 new unclaimed items from airports added every day. An on-site museum showcases exotic, rare, and valuable items, such as a violin from the 1700s, Egyptian artifacts, and Hoggle, the gnome-like gatekeeper from Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth.”
Boston’s North End is packed with history, but its story extends far beyond the Freedom Trail. This list highlights some of the neighborhood’s oldest and most memorable places, from historic landmarks to beloved eateries.
