Author: Ms. R.

On the front gate, the sarcophagus, and the walls of Cappella Colleoni in Bergamo, you can see the coat of arms of the Colleoni family, which consists of three testicles. The origins of this unusual coat of arms likely stem from the etymological connection of the family name Colleoni and coglioni, the vulgar Italian term for testicles. So far, so good, but why three? Rumor has it that Bartolomeo was affected with polyorchidism, a rare congenital anomaly endowing one……

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At just over 20 square miles, the island of Bermuda is barely a blip in the North Atlantic Ocean. Yet for much of the 1800s, this small British territory boasted an outsized reputation for one unlikely export: onions. In All About Bermuda Onions, Nancy Hutchings Valentine, a prominent Bermudian artist in her lifetime, writes that the island was growing 332,745 pounds of onions by 1844, mostly for foreign export. “Bermudian merchant seamen became known as ‘Onions’ and Bermuda was……

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Spas often have a wide range of facilities, from pools to saunas. Art is usually part of the decor, but it is quite rare to see the two merged into one facility. But at Sweden’s Djurönäset spa, an interactive art installation is part of the experience. The upplevelsdusch, or “next level shower,” lets its users experience the ever-changing weather of Scandinavia. The shower provides three preprogrammed experiences, representing the Nordic spring, summer, and autumn. It achieves this by releasing……

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This museum presents a collection consisting of more than 2,000 mining lamps spanning from ancient to modern. In addition, there are vintage carts, helmets, telephones, drills, and other paraphernalia related to mining. Almost all the items on display were found or recovered from local mines in and around Schilpario. Some of the oldest items on display at the Museo dell’Illuminazione Mineraria (Museum of Mining Lighting) are early forms of mining lamps used during the Roman Empire, which consist of simple……

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Walking between these stone and concrete structures feels like you are exploring the ruins of an ancient civilization. Scattered between the trees are endless paths, nooks, and crannies to get lost in. In reality, however, the “overgrownness” of the structures is highly intentional, and part of its design. In the 1970s, artist Louis le Roy (1924-2012) obtained an empty piece of land and began building what is now known as the Ecokathedraal (”eco cathedral”) near the town of Mildam, Netherlands…….

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In 1914, a highway system called Dixie Highway was a network of roads that was meant to connect Miami to Montreal, Canada. The prime leader and investor of this operation was American entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher. By 1916, this portion of the highway near the Florida town of Espanola was complete. With tourists coming down to visit Florida’s east coast, this road would have hundreds of visitors a day driving the road on their Model T’s. By the mid-1920s, the……

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