00:00An army of scarecrows have popped up and outgrown the population of those still left behind.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 most bizarre towns
00:10in the world. For this list, we're ranking for uniqueness derived from nature or human choices.
00:17Number 10. Monsanto, Portugal. You might want to say that this town takes integration with
00:21its natural surroundings to a whole new level. However, new is a term that feels weird when
00:26applied to Monsanto. There's been a settlement on this mountain since the 1100s, and evidence
00:31suggests human presence dating back to the early Stone Age. It's been maintained and developed over
00:35the centuries and through various wars. Many of the village's 800-plus residents live in homes built
00:41directly into the granite rock face, giving them a look that mixes modernity with the prehistoric
00:45and the medieval. It was awarded the distinction of Most Portuguese Village of Portugal in 1938,
00:51for which it received a silver rooster, which was proudly placed atop the clock tower.
00:55Number 9. Taos, New Mexico, USA. Earthships are the revolutionary creation of Michael Reynolds.
01:01The American architect took upcycled materials such as used tires and bottles and combined them
01:06with some natural materials to create sustainable homes. Reynolds started a company to build and
01:11sell his homes and to teach people how to build their own. They're designed to be less reliant on
01:16public utilities and fossil fuels, using solar energy and rainwater whenever possible. They use
01:21natural cross ventilation to regulate indoor temperature. It's almost like if you're inside
01:25a cave. So caves usually stay at about 63-65 degrees all year round, and so then it's a lot easier
01:33to cool or to warm up that space. This last part is particularly relevant in places like Taos, New Mexico,
01:39where Reynolds began building them in the 1970s. While this particular type of off-grid living is popular
01:45around the world, they are most popular in Taos, which now boasts more than 70 such structures.
01:51Once you start looking at these homes differently than traditional construction in the country and
01:57in the world, these just make so much more sense. Number 8. La Rinconada, Peru. It's the highest
02:03permanent settlement on Earth, located between 16 and 17,000 feet above sea level. This hardscrabble
02:10clutter of corrugated iron shacks and bustling markets is the highest human habitation in the
02:15world. Some also call it devil's paradise because of unchecked criminal gangs. But conditions in this
02:21Peruvian Andes town make it anything but a paradise. There is no running water, no functional sewage
02:26systems, food is imported from lower areas, and they only got electricity in the 2000s.
02:31And only the hardest can carve out a living here. Such is life up in thin air.
02:39Despite these challenges, La Rinconada has a population of close to 30,000, and many of
02:44them chose to move there. The reason is simple. Gold. The area has several gold mines, some legal and
02:50some illegal. The air is thin due to the altitude and contains mercury vapor, so life expectancy is
02:57only 30 to 35 years. These lands hold vast riches, destined for shimmering jewelry showrooms far away.
03:04Yet the people who haul that treasure from the depths are trapped in a cycle of poverty.
03:10Number 7. Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway. When it comes to settlements with a population of more
03:15than 1,000, this is as far north as you can go. Actually, we're all here squeezed in this little
03:23space here because of the nature, yeah? For four months of the year, the sun doesn't shine on this
03:30eastern Norwegian community, and there is a week-long celebration called Solfestuga when
03:34daylight finally returns. Residents are required to carry a rifle outdoors to protect against polar
03:39bears, and cats are banned. Here, it's dangerous. You have polar bears, so you need to be awake. You
03:47need to be aware what's happening around you. Death in Longyearbyen is not just unconventional.
03:53It's effectively, though not literally, illegal. It's too cold for bodies to decompose. The terminally
03:59ill must fly to the mainland in their final days, and when someone dies unexpectedly, the body must
04:03be transported off the island. It is possible to bury cremated ashes with a permit, but no bodies have
04:09been buried there since 1950. You're not meant to be born here, that's for sure. We don't have a
04:13maternity ward, and even if you are unlucky enough to die here, you're going to be shipped off.
04:19Number 6. Rocamadour, France
04:22If you want to take a trip back to medieval times, but also get your cardio in, may we
04:26recommend Rocamadour, France? Overlooking the Alzu Valley is Rocamadour.
04:31At the bottom, there is a preserved medieval village, spread out over what is pretty much
04:35one street. The buildings date from the 1300s to the 1700s, though they have, of course,
04:40been repurposed for modern times. Then, there is a 233-step staircase that leads to the churches,
04:46which collectively are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Up a little further is the castle. This is
04:51a pilgrimage people have done for centuries, and can still be done today. While it does make our
04:56list of bizarre places, it's also the third most popular tourist attraction in France.
05:00This vertical village is visited by 1.5 million people every year.
05:06Number 5. Nagoro Village, Shikoku, Japan
05:08This village on Japan's smallest island previously had a population of approximately 300. By 2019,
05:15that number had dwindled to just 27. That's the human population. If you count the life-size
05:20scarecrows, though, it's closer to 400.
05:22Sitting in fields at bus stops and empty shops, scarecrows have taken over the shrinking village.
05:28In the early 2000s, former resident Tsukimi Ayano returned to the village and made a doll in her
05:34father's likeness and placed it in a field. My crops just didn't grow, so I thought that they
05:38were being eaten by those crows. That's when I decided to create some scarecrows, and that's what
05:43started all this. She made more, some representing former residents and others invented. Some of her
05:49neighbors joined in, placing them all around town. The old school became home to several scarecrows
05:54after classes stopped in 2012. Now, the village's scarecrow population outnumbers its human
05:59population 10 to 1. This town is now known as the Nagoro Doll Village or the Nagoro Scarecrow
06:04Village.
06:05Ayano wants to keep making scarecrows that entertain visitors.
06:09Number 4. Civita di Bagno Reggio, Viterbo, Italy
06:12Each morning as the sun rises on this medieval town seemingly plucked from a fairy tale,
06:17the narrow lanes of Civita di Bagno Reggio are quiet. Just getting to this hilltop town about 75
06:24miles north of Rome is itself a challenge. You'll need to cross a footbridge over a gorge. It was
06:29built as an Etruscan settlement roughly 2,500 years ago, and originally had five gates which have
06:34disappeared over the centuries due to erosion, causing some to call Civita di Bagno Reggio the
06:39dying city.
06:40But now a mix of geological engineering and tourism is giving this ancient city new life.
06:45The bridge was built in 1965, has a toll, and is accessible to pedestrians and at some times
06:52bikes and motorcycles. The town itself has preserved its medieval look. It's a few blocks
06:57surrounded by stone, with some unavoidable bits of modernity such as business signs and patio
07:02furniture. There are only 16 human residents, and a bunch of cats live there as well.
07:07And who knows how many cats?
07:09Number 3. Hallstatt, Guangdong Province, China
07:12If you're looking for the old world charm of an Austrian village,
07:15you may want to consider a trip to China.
07:17This is a replica of an Austrian city named Hallstatt, but also this place is named Hallstatt.
07:24After the South Korean soap opera Spring Waltz filmed some scenes in Hallstatt, Austria,
07:28interest in the town grew across Asia. The BBC suggests this may have been the reason China
07:33Min Metals Limited decided to construct a complete replica of the UNESCO World Heritage
07:37Site in the southern Guangdong Province. They copied the buildings, the town square,
07:41the beer garden, and even the parish church. The Chinese copy includes a replica of its clock tower
07:47and picturesque wooden houses. Though in this Hallstatt they use it as a reception hall instead
07:52of a place of worship. Opened in 2012, the replica town has 700 residents and is a major tourist
07:58attraction. When news of the project first broke, some of the villagers in Austria were upset.
08:05But since then, attitudes have softened.
08:08Number 2. Damanhur, Piedmont, Italy
08:10Above ground, this town, or technically this federation of independent communities in northern
08:15Italy is unconventional to say the least.
08:18With 600 citizens and the worldwide community, the Damanhurians have set up a new philosophical way of living.
08:25Established as an eco-village in 1975 by Oberto Arraudi and 12 friends, it was named after Damanhur in Egypt.
08:33Residents have adopted animal and plant names. There are different classes for citizens,
08:37and they have their own currency, the credito. But if you look below the surface, literally,
08:42you will find a network of underground temples dubbed the temples of humankind.
08:46These temples are considered to be the most sacred places in Damanhur.
08:50They are among the largest underground temples in the world,
08:53and the Italian government didn't even know they existed until 1992.
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09:19It's not just a mining town. It's a town largely built in mines.
09:27This South Australian settlement rose to fame as the opal capital of the world in the early 20th century.
09:32Roughly 70 opal mines still operate in the area, but residents have converted the abandoned tunnels
09:38into living spaces they call dugouts. Over half of Coober Pedy's roughly 1400 inhabitants live underground.
09:44Even the churches are on the down low.
09:47This isn't a rustic existence. There are underground homes with all the modern creature comforts you'd expect,
09:52plus ventilation shafts. In fact, they're quite a bit more comfortable in the summer,
09:56where temperatures on the surface can rise to 127 degrees Fahrenheit.
10:01You'll never live in a house again. You never need heating. You never need cooling.
10:05Home renovations can also be profitable rather than costly, as you might just find some opal in the walls.
10:11And it's fabulous. I would never swap. Never.
10:16What do you think of our list? Have you been to any of these places or know of a more bizarre town?
10:20Let us know in the comments.
10:21Here, an upside-down life is normal.
