A woman walks past murals adorning the walls of Garibaldi subway station, in Milan, Friday, February 28, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak in northern Italy, the bustling metropolis of Milan has resembled more of a ghost town lately, as workers stayed home and tourism has dwindled there, and other parts of Italy. (Photo by Luca Bruno/AP Photo)

The sun catches on the panels of a 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom at Northington Grange, the summer home of the Grange Park Opera, on April 16, 2011 near Winchester, England. The English Heritage Grade 1 listed Greek Revival style property was the setting for the inter-war Rolls Royce20-Ghost Club members which was founded in 1949 by a group of owners of vintage Rolls Royce cars. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

A lightning strikes St Peter's dome at the Vatican on February 11, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI announced today he will resign as leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics on February 28 because his age prevented him from carrying out his duties – an unprecedented move in the modern history of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP Photo)

In a photo taken on June 5, 2017 a traffic security officer stands on duty at an intersection in Pyongyang. Officially known as traffic security officers but universally referred to as traffic ladies, they are chosen for their looks in a society that remains traditionalist in many respects. They must leave the role if they marry, and have a finite shelf-life, with compulsory retirement looming at just 26. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

London Fashion Week makeup artist Val Garland in the first decade of September 2025 has created the definitive airport look ahead of Fashion Week, designed for long haul travel and inspired by Heathrow. Made entirely with cosmetics available in Heathrow’s World Duty Free beauty offering, passengers will have a chance to get the look themselves, as well as other immersive experiences as part of the Redefine Your Beauty campaign. (Photo by Daniel Lewis/Heathrow)

Buns are stamped the Chinese characters “Ping An”, meaning peaceful and safe, inside a bakery, at Hong Kong's Cheung Chau island, China May 17, 2015, ahead of the upcoming Bun Festival on May 25. The festival celebrates the islanders' deliverance from famine many centuries ago and is meant to placate ghosts and restless spirits. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Only the most intrepid urban explorers cross the tattered ruins of the old Iron Curtain to endure the excessive bureaucracy, military paranoia and freezing winds of the East to hunt for the ghosts of an empire. Rebecca Litchfield is one who couldn’t resist the haunting allure of the ruins of the Soviet Union.

A man dressed in a traditional Perchten costume and mask performs during a Perchten festival in the western Austrian village of Huben November 22, 2014. Each year in November and January people in the western Austria regions dress up in Perchten (also known in some regions as Krampus or Tuifl) costumes and parade through the streets to perform a 1,500 year-old pagan ritual to disperse the ghosts of winter. (Photo by Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters)