Abercrombie’s Abandoned New York Castle is For Sale

Abercrombie & Fitch– that slightly irritating brand for college kids whose preferred choice of footwear is flip flops all year long. But thanks to this historic house recently hitting the market, I’ve discovered there’s a slightly better story behind Abercrombie & Fitch. David Thomas Abercrombie was a true adventurer. Born to Scottish immigrant parents, he first…

Oh, Just an Abandoned Real-Life Gingerbread Castle to Haunt your Christmas

Because why bake a gingerbread house this holiday season, when a real-life abandoned one can haunt your dreams? Let’s head out to Hamburg, New Jersey, where a local landmark is in dire need of a little TLC from Hansel & Gretel. Since the late 1920s, the now-crumbling structure was known as The Gingerbread Castle, a…

For Sale: This Amazing Technicolor Castle

The Castello di Sammezzano is a show-stopper, a jaw-dropper. Hidden away in the Tuscan hills of Northern Italy, this electrifyingly beautiful Moorish castle was built a whopping 400+ years ago in 1605, and for more than two decades it was neglected, sitting empty and vulnerable to vandalism — until now. Once on the brink of…

I Have This Thing with Topiaries

Maybe it’s because, in truth, they’re completely unnecessary but so utterly gratifying when trimmed with precision. Maybe it’s because they transport us to the fantasies of our childhood, both romantic and slightly eerie (we’ve all seen how things end for Jack Nicholson in The Shining), but whatever the reason, we can’t stop staring at topiaries, so…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. CCCXX)

1. Janis Joplin having an Eternal Summer in Copacabana, Brazil, 1970 Just months before her untimely death, Joplin headed to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro to have a few moments of R&R on the beach. She wasn’t nearly as well known in South America as she was in the States, and the images weren’t released until many…

Chateau Miranda is Here to Break Your Heart

Her turrets sprouted mushrooms, and vines ate up her halls once filled with aristocrats, candelabras, and plushy velvet lounges. It was one of Belgium’s grandest castles, but the Chateau Miranda had run out of time —at least according to its guardian, the Count de Liedekerke-Beaufort. In October of last year, he set the 100-room giant ablaze…

For Sale: Your ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ Fixer-Upper Awaits

When Matthew Hampshire drops us a line, we know it’s time to head into the belly of yet another crumbling beauty. This time, the photographer gave us a peek inside one of his lushest expeditions to date, in the hills of northern Italy at the ghostly Villa Moglia. Step behind her gates for yourself, but…

Check in to the Most Beautiful Insane Asylum in the World

When you picture a mental asylum, this is probably not quite the image that pops up. Stark hallways and dungeon-like holding cells is what Hollywood has taught me to imagine, but over in the rolling hills of Tuscany, flying over the cuckoo’s nest was done in style once upon a time… Photographs (c) Alex Doomer Palatial grounds,…

The Lost French Castle That’s Taking 25 Years to Re-build

Let’s say a volunteer became involved in the early stages of building this castle at the age of twenty. By the time construction of the fortress is complete they would have doubled in age and already celebrated their 40th birthday. These days, that’s a heck of a long time to take building something, but that’s because this is no ordinary…

Found in a Derelict Castle: The Lost Fleet of Alfa Romeos

So there’s a “barn find”– the term used for uncovering lost priceless cars sitting in a garage covered in dust– and then there’s a “castle find“. This is the rather more unique story of six Alfa Romeo 1960s sport cars discovered beneath a stunning abandoned castle in Belgium. On a winter’s morning before the break…