At the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome, take a left underneath the imposing Catholic church. Down an unassuming side street, there"s a surprise waiting for you: a house of monsters. Welcome to the Palazzo Zuccari, a 16th-century palace where myths seem to come to life on its façade—grotesque faces swallow up its doors and windows. Federico Zuccari, who built the palace, was well-versed in monsters. His painting of the Last Judgment in Florence Cathedral and his illustrations of Dante"s Inferno are replete with mythical beings. The monster door originally led to the palazzo"s garden because Zuccari enjoyed making his guests experience the contrast between the scary entrance and the beautiful serenity of the garden. These days, the door leads to the Bibliotheca Hertziana, a library specializing in Italian art history, from the Middle Ages to the modern day, which has occupied the site of the garden since 1912.
Palazzo Zuccari, Rome
Today in History
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Bridge of Sighs in Venice, Italy
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Black History Month
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Negratín Reservoir, Granada, Spain
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Ringing in the new year at Teotihuacan
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Alstrom Point, Lake Powell, Utah
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Sundance Film Festival
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St. Barbaras Cathedral, Kutná Hora, Czechia
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Looking down on the Otter
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Lantern Festival
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My my, it s Syttende Mai
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International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
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Toledo, Spain
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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South Stack Lighthouse, Holy Island, Wales
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Party like it’s 5779
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First day of autumn
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Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scottish Highlands
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Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
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World Nature Conservation Day
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Kings of the Kalahari
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Happy holidays!