smoking room – Adam X

Explore #117: Castle of Sammezzano, aka Non Plus Ultra / the Fairytale Castle, Italy – December 2014

Explore #6 of the Wet, with excitement Tour. The third and final day of our wintry long weekend in Italy was a traditional pre-dawn start. Our target: an incredible disused ‘fairytale’ castle… History (compiled and rewritten from here, here, and here) The Castle of Sammezzano was originally built in 1605 by Spanish nobleman Ximenes of Aragon. However, the castle truly became unique in the 19th century when Ferdinand Panciatichi Ximenes inherited the property, and over the course of nearly 40…

Explore #109: The Underwater Ballroom / Victorian Folly, Witley Park, Surrey – some time in 2014…

May 10, 2015

Adam X

Palaces, Castles & Mansions, Recommended Reports - some selected highlights, Subterranean, United Kingdom

And now for something just a little bit special… Please sit back, relax, and learn of the truly incomparable ‘Witley Wonder’ – a Victorian folly built beneath a lake by an eccentric millionaire… *** IMPORTANT: Please note that Witley Park is now occupied and in private ownership, and should therefore not be visited without the owner’s express prior permission. *** History (abridged, compiled and rewritten at great length from a number of source articles here, here, here, here, here, here, and…