Palazzo Zuccari, Rome Oct 22, 2024

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 Judgement in Florence Cathedral and his illustrations of Dante"s Inferno are replete with mythical beings.

© Photon-Photos/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Misty mountain hop
Oct 22, 2023Astoria-Megler Bridge, Oregon
Oct 22, 2025Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
Oct 22, 2026Autumn in Naejangsan National Park, South Korea

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Napping near the North Pole
Aug 24, 2025European fallow deer in England
A road not for the faint of heart
Oct 29, 2023Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia, USA
Nov 2, 2024American bison
A grove glows green
Oct 27, 2024Polar Bear Week
Dec 16, 2024Salzburg, Austria
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
May 5, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Apr 1, 2024Palazzo Farnese, Rome, Italy
Jun 20, 2026Arched iceberg, western Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean
A one-of-a-kind splash
The sea that acts like a lake
Oct 11, 2025World Migratory Bird Day
May 7, 2026Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, United States
Jan 27, 2025Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
A 50-year balancing act
Feb 23, 2026Great white egret, Upper Bavaria, Germany
Nov 2, 2026Polar Bear Week
Jul 8, 2024Blueberries growing in the wild
Go fly a kite!
Staying in the loop
Nov 14, 2023Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
A modern recreation
Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
Oct 1, 2024Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Sep 27, 2025Tank Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
Mar 2, 2024Modica, Sicily, Italy
Apr 10, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela