Hidden in the hills of Nanjing, China, are three enormous pieces of limestone that were meant to become one of the largest stone monuments ever attempted. They are known collectively as the Yangshan Quarry Stele, a colossal project ordered in 1405 by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming dynasty. The plan was to create a monumental stele honouring his father, the Hongwu Emperor, at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.
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| The enormous unfinished base of the Yangshan Quarry Stele. |
Along historic Route 66 in California, the Wigwam Motel looks nothing like an ordinary roadside hotel. Nineteen tall, cone-shaped rooms stand in two rows, giving the property the appearance of a tiny village of concrete teepees. Historically known as Wigwam Village #7, this unusual motel has become one of the most recognisable surviving landmarks along the Mother Road.
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| The Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino is one of the surviving Wigwam Villages along historic Route 66. |
On the crest of Cerro Calderico in Castilla-La Mancha, twelve white windmills stand above the town of Consuegra. Their sails, rounded wooden bodies, and hilltop setting make them one of the most recognisable sights in the Spanish countryside.
Juliet’s House, Verona, or Casa di Giulietta, is one of the most recognisable places in the Italian city of Verona. The medieval building on Via Cappello is traditionally linked with Juliet Capulet, the heroine of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Visitors come to see the famous balcony, the courtyard and the bronze statue of Juliet, but the real history of the building is more compelling than the romantic legend suggests.
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| Juliet’s House in Verona, traditionally associated with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. |
There are villages where buildings are part of the scenery, and then there is Alberobello, where buildings are the scenery. Walking through its old streets in Puglia feels different from walking through an ordinary Italian town. Whitewashed walls line narrow lanes, and above them rise hundreds of grey stone roofs shaped like cones, domes, and pyramids.
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| The traditional trulli of Alberobello are whitewashed limestone dwellings topped with distinctive conical corbelled stone roofs. |
A woman stands high above Volgograd, Russia, holding a massive sword aloft while extending her other arm as if calling people forward. This is The Motherland Calls, one of the world's most recognisable war memorials. But it is the dramatic pose and colossal size that make it a striking landmark; the monument is more than just a giant statue. It is a symbol of hope and freedom. It commemorates the soldiers and civilians caught up in the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.
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| The Motherland Calls in Volgograd, Russia. Explore the 85-metre monument at Mamaev Kurgan. |
New York is full of famous parks, but the High Line is unlike almost any other. Instead of spreading across the ground, it runs above the streets on a former freight railway, carrying visitors through gardens, art installations, and quiet seating areas while the city moves below.
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| The High Line transforms a former elevated freight railway into a landscaped public park on Manhattan’s West Side. |
Hidden in the hills of Nanjing, China, are three enormous pieces of limestone that were meant to become one of the largest stone monuments e...
