Category: Just to be Curious…

The Pitcairn Islands archipelago is formed by four volcanic islands: Pitcairn, Henderson (which is included in the UNESCO world heritage list), Ducie and Oeno. It is located in the Southern Pacific Ocean and it is the least populous national jurisdiction in the world (about 50 inhabitants).

Its history is famous because of the Bounty mutineers, who settled the islands in 1789 after taking control of the ship and abandoning its commander William Bligh and 18 crewmembers.
The wreck of the Bounty is now still visible underwater in Bounty Bay, Pitcairn Island.

But the beauty of the beaches and the atolls must not deceive: in this heavenly place life is not the best: the inhabitants (descendants of the famous mutineers and Tahitian women) have lived various vicissitudes for two centuries: from clashes with the local population in the first period (which led to the killing of some of the mutineers) to the latest pornographic pedophile scandals that involved the inhabitants themselves.

The Pantanal Conservation Area, located in Brazil, Bolivia & Paraguay, is the world’s largest tropical wetland, with an estimated surface area of about 170.000 square kilometres (at least 20 times the size of the Everglades, in Florida); it is one of the most unspoiled and unexplored places of the world.

For much of the year, 80% of the land is submerged by water, allowing the growth of a large variety of aquatic plants and supporting one of the world’s best diversity of wildlife. In addition to anacondas, caimans, jaguars, and many other animals, you can also meet the pantaneiros, people living here who rely on animal husbandry for their livelihood.

The Pantanal is home to several unique and iconic species found nowhere else in the world or in such abundance. It boasts the world’s highest density of jaguars, making it one of the best places to spot these elusive big cats in their natural habitat. The Pantanal also shelters the giant otter, a species endangered elsewhere but thriving in these wetlands. The hyacinth macaw, the largest flying parrot species, calls the Pantanal home, its vibrant blue feathers adding a splash of color to the lush greenery. Another unique resident is the Pantanal marmoset, a tiny primate found only in this region.

The wetlands are also a haven for birdlife, with over 650 species recorded, including the jabiru stork, a symbol of the Pantanal. This large, striking bird is known for its massive wingspan and distinctive red neck. Aquatic creatures like the golden dorado and pacu thrive in the Pantanal’s waterways, contributing to its reputation as an angler’s paradise.

The Pantanal’s vast and dynamic ecosystem, shaped by seasonal flooding, creates a unique mosaic of habitats that support this incredible biodiversity. Visitors can explore the area through eco-tourism lodges, safaris, and boat tours, experiencing the harmony of life in one of the most extraordinary natural environments on Earth.

10th of June, 1944. World War II.  After the murder of the Sturmbannführer Helmut Kämpfe, a Major of the Nazi Waffen-SS, the Germans troops, in revenge, entered the town of Oradour-sur-Glane and killed 642 civilians, including women and children (except the only woman survived, Marguerite Rouffanche), murdered by bombs after they were gathered in the church.
It was one of the worst massacres during the World War II; now the (ghost) village, as a permanent memorial, is exactly as it was upon its destruction, with the Mayor’s car still where it was parked in 1944.

With great indignation of the French people, all those convicted in connection to the massacre were released from prison after the trial.

The Mel Gibson movie The Patriot featured a scene where a church filled with civilians was burned by enemy troops, based on the Oradour-sur-Glane events.

The Navigli are a system of navigable canals around Milan, Italy, consisted of five canals: Naviglio Grande, Naviglio Pavese, Naviglio Martesana, Naviglio di Paderno and Naviglio di Bereguardo.

The construction of the system lasted from the 12th to the 19th century; in 1805 Napoleon completed the construction of the Naviglio Pavese canal, connecting Milan to the sea by the canal of Pavia & Po river, to the Lake Maggiore through the Naviglio Grande canal & Ticino river and to the Como Lake through Martesana canal & Adda river.

From the Ossola Valley, through the Naviglio Pavese, was transported the marble used for building the Duomo of Milan.
After 1850, due to the advent of the railway, and later of the automobile, the canals transportation system suffered an inevitable decline; today, most of the canals are used for irrigation.

In downtown Milan, the Navigli area is now one of the best nightlife poles in the city; the Naviglio Grande and the Naviglio Pavese operates a tourist navigation service.

Also known as The Door to Hell, the Darvaza Crater, is a natural gas crater in the Karakum Black Sands desert, Turkmenistan, about 250 kilometers north of Ashgabat.

It was formed after the collapse of a natural gas field into an underground cavern. According to most sources, it is burning since 1971, when Soviet geologists set it alight to prevent the spread of the potentially poisonous methane gas.
The scientists believed that the gas would extinguish within a few weeks, but it is now still burning.

The Canadian explorer George Kourounis was the first scientist descended into the crater, collecting some extremophile microorganisms that live even in that hellish place.

The Panopticon Prison:
a prison model conceived in the 1780s by the British prison reformer Jeremy Bentham, where the inmates were constantly kept under surveillance. That model has considered innovative due to his efficiency despite the few staff and it was thought to improve the behavior of the inmates.

One example of the Panopticon prison was the Presidio Modelo, built on the Isla de la Juventud, in Cuba under President Gerardo Machado.

The five circular blocks, overlooked by a central watchtower with the capacity to house up to 6,000 prisoners, were inaugurated in 1926.
Raul and Fidel Castro were imprisoned there from 1953 to 1955 after their revolt against the Moncada barracks. After the victory against Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro used the prison to house his political enemies, but after various riots and hunger strikes due to the overcrowded conditions, the Presidio Modelo was permanently closed in 1967.