1 – Mount Athos
Mount Athos, a 130 square mile peninsula in northeastern Greece that has been a home to several orthodox monasteries for over 1000 years.
But it is also home to an old world tradition that is still strictly enforced: no women are allowed on Mount Athos. It is because of a local legend claiming that Virgin Mary was blown off course in her attempts to sail to Cyprus and was stranded on Mount Athos, which she came to regard as her home, and which was bestowed upon her by God. To this day, Mount Athos is referred to as “the garden of the mother of God”. Mary being the only woman allowed on its soil. For this reason, female livestock and female domestic animals are also not allowed.
2 – North Sentinel Island
North Sentinel Island: Ignore the warning and restrictions around North Sentinel Island and you may wind up dead. Home to an indigenous tribe known as the Sentinelese, this indigenous group has spent 60,000 years in isolation from the rest of humanity – and it has a hard-earned reputation for keeping it that way. In 2006, for example, the tribe, thought to number between 50 and 200, murdered two men who had been illegally fishing off the island. When the Indian coast guard tried to recover their bodies, islanders, who had somehow survived the ferocious 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, greeted the helicopter with a shower of arrows. They are among the world’s last communities to remain untouched by modern civilization.
3 – Vatican City Archives
The Archives of Vatican City: Buried deep within the walls of Vatican City, and mostly underground, are the Vatican Secret Archives, which house the immense history of the acts of the Holy See, along with historic documents, state papers, papal account books, and other official correspondences, some of which dates back to the eighth century. Items include letters from Michelangelo, a letter from Mary Queen of Scots written while she was awaiting her execution, and King Henry’s request for a marriage. The archives, which are the official property of the current pope, have been estimated to span over 52 miles of shelving with more than 35,000 items. Other than a very small staff who take care of the archives, access is strictly limited to qualified scholars from very select higher education and research institutions, all of whom have to undergo an rigorous access application process to be granted entry.
4 – The Catacombs of Paris
The Catacombs of Paris: One of the best known mysterious and scary places from all around the world are the Catacombs of Paris. What was first built as a tunnel network to consolidate Paris’ stone mines became a storage for 6 million dead bodies at the end of the 18th century. Even though a very small part of these tunnels is open to the public, where you can see thousands of bones and skulls stacked together, 99% of the 170-mile long maze is forbidden to enter because getting lost there is almost a guarantee. Yet that does not stop people and mysterious secret society members from finding their ways into these places and making trouble for the special Catacomb Police Force, the Cataflics.
5 – Poveglia Island, Italy
Poveglia Island, Italy: This is an island known as one of the most mysterious and creepy places in the world. It all started during the Roman Empire when the island was home to the victims of the plague. Later, during the medieval era, when the plague returned, the island once again became a home to thousands of deadly sick people. A terrible amount of people were dumped into the ground, buried in the same graves and even burned. People say that the land became so affected by the burned and rotten human corpses, its soil is now 50% made of human ash. Then, back in 1922, they opened a mental hospital here. It is safe to say that it did not affect the patients in a positive way, since the island already had a truly creepy vibe to it. Now, you can still find washed up human bones on the island’s shore due to the horrific amount of humans killed there. With many people saying this place is haunted, no wonder this island is illegal to visit, and we’re not sure anyone would want to go there.
