Author: Ms. R.

Accademia Carrara is the flagship art museum in the city of Bergamo. The more than 300 items on display consist mainly of paintings and sculptures, but there is also an outlier: the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Cards.  The original deck of cards is from the mid-15th century, and it was created by a painter by the name of Bembo Bonifacio. However, before the end of the 15th century, three cards had gone missing, and another painter, Antonio Cicognara, decided to re-produce……

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This story was originally published on The Conversation and appears here under a Creative Commons license. The word “witches” makes many Americans think of women working in league with the devil. But that hasn’t always been the face of sorcery. Most of Catholic and Protestant Europe embraced the idea of magic as a satanic craft practiced by women, and strong, independent women were kept in line through such accusations. In Orthodox Russia, however, accusers overwhelmingly blamed men for bewitching……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we go on a journey through the depths of the ocean, meeting a different squid deity at each stop along the way. Our guide is bonafide cephalopod expert, biologist, and science educator Sarah McAnulty. Learn more: Sarah is teaching a course this fall about the creatures that live in the deep sea. It starts October 3, 2023. Use……

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Atlas Obscura’s weekly crossword comes to us from Natan Last, a writer who also helps develop policy and digital products for refugees and asylum seekers. His work can be found in The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, The New Yorker, and other publications, and he’s currently working on a nonfiction book about crosswords. You can solve the puzzle below, or download it in .pdf or .puz. Note that the links in the clues will take you to Atlas……

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Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital city, is a sprawling metropolis in the country’s north-central region. Ulaanbaatar is home to all manner of housing, from the traditional felt tents known as ger to little log cabins in the hills and valleys. It’s here that visitors can also find Dambadarjaa Monastery, one of the country’s three main Khalkha Buddhist monasteries. The monastery here was established in the 1700s in a quiet northwestern section of Ulaanbaatar. The remains of a Buddhist spiritual leader, the Second Khalkha Jetsundampa, are interred……

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By the late 1930s, the question was no longer whether a Second World War would break out, but when—and who would be drawn into it. Whatever was going to happen in Europe or Asia, the United States should stay out: This was the opinion of a large segment of the American public, led by “America First” celebrities like Charles Lindbergh. The United States was large and self-sufficient enough to keep minding its own business, the isolationists argued. Why spend……

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A gem, hidden on the slopes of Monte Barbeston. The area is characterized by ancient type rock with special properties known since ancient times. On the path between Alpe Valmeriana (Pontey) and Bellecombe (Châtillon), a separate track has been built to go over this peculiar place. In the past, it was also called the Strada del Sole (“Road of the Sun”). It was scattered with splendid remains of ancient circular stones. Some thought they were resembling solar disks. The……

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Surrounded by green mountain ranges, Yamanashi Prefecture is home to sites of ancient worship, most notably shrines dedicated to Mount Fuji. There is also a folk belief unique to Yamanashi, which many Japanese folklorists consider an enigma: Maruishi-gami, or “spherical stone gods.” Names and natures do agree, as the Maruishi-gami is just what it’s called—a spherical stone. But are they natural or artificial? Hard to tell, it seems. How does one worship them? Depends on whom you ask. They……

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With 500 taxidermied birds, jail cells from the 1800s, and a mysterious mannequin that’s been known to appear in the clock tower window (not an official exhibit, but a bonus), the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, is a must-see. The museum spans three buildings: At the Lightcatcher, take in fine art and traveling exhibits, indigenous cultural displays, and bring children to the Family Interactive Gallery. In Old City Hall, wander the John M. Edson Hall of Birds and listen……

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