Churches and cathedrals
The mummified arm of St James: the hidden basilica of Prague's Old Town
In Prague, in an Old Town lane, the Basilica of St James guards a mummified arm, a restless tomb and a great organ.
Jun 28, 2026Elena Marchetti
Borghi, arte e storia minore
Si occupa di borghi, centri storici, chiese e siti archeologici: paesi sotto i mille abitanti e architetture fuori dalle guide turistiche ufficiali.
Guides by Elena Marchetti.
Castles, palaces and monuments
The Rotunda of St Martin at Vyšehrad: Prague's oldest building with a cannonball in the wall
The Rotunda of St Martin at Vyšehrad, Prague: the city's oldest building, Romanesque, with a Prussian cannonball from 1757 lodged in the wall.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
Sint Andrieshofje: the secret courtyard of the Jordaan in Amsterdam
Behind a small door on the Egelantiersgracht, the second-oldest hofje in Amsterdam: a corridor of blue tiles and a silent garden.
Jun 28, 2026
Castles, palaces and monuments
Het Schip: Amsterdam's Ship-Shaped Housing Block
Michel de Klerk's Expressionist masterpiece in Amsterdam's Spaarndammerbuurt: social housing shaped like a ship, now a museum you can actually visit.
Jun 28, 2026
Churches and cathedrals
De Duif, the church you can only see from the far bank of the canal (Amsterdam)
On the Prinsengracht a façade so sober it disappears among the houses: inside, a monumental hall and a great Smits organ.
Jun 28, 2026
Archaeological sites
The Roman Theatre of Lisbon: the theatre of Olisipo hidden beneath the Sé
Beneath the Sé hill in Lisbon lies a Roman theatre from the 1st century: genuine remains, a small museum and almost always empty.
Jun 28, 2026
Churches and cathedrals
São Vicente de Fora: the monastery above Alfama where the Braganzas rest among the azulejos
The monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon: azulejo cloisters, the Braganza pantheon and a panoramic terrace, almost always empty.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
Jardim do Torel: the viewpoint over Lisbon's rooftops above the Ascensor do Lavra
A terrace-garden atop one of Lisbon's hills, reachable by the city's oldest funicular. A view over the Baixa without the crush.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
The Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona, the secret garden of the Plaza de la Paja in Madrid
Behind a wall on Madrid's Plaza de la Paja hides an 18th-century garden of 500 m²: geometric hedges and a granite fountain.
Jun 28, 2026