Halloween may not be the most celebrated festivity, but there is no end of spooky places to visit in Italy. We take a look at seven of the most spine-chilling sites.
Welcome to our selection of the most spooky places to visit in Italy. From north to south, you’ll be chilled to the bone…
Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo, Sicily
Italy is chock full of creepy catacombs, but there’s something particularly scary about the Capuchin Catacombs. A burial crypt in Palermo, Sicily, it was originally only for the Capuchin monastery monks. However, it became a status symbol for those that were eventually allowed in. 8,000 mummies line the walls. From the ‘sleeping beauty’ of a young girl to the skeletons of old married couples, it’s morbidly fascinating.
Ca’Dario, Venice
Considered to be one of the most haunted cities in Europe, Venice is home to a particularly chilling house. Beautiful as it may be architecturally, locals call it the ‘house of no return’. Eerie deaths happen to owners of the building.
Built in the 15th century, the original owner and designer Giovanni Dario lost his son to murder and daughter to suicide while they lived in the house. However, it doesn’t end there, with two more murders and suicides in Ca’Dario. The 13 successive owners have also all died mysteriously.
The Museum of Purgatory, Rome
In the small church of Sacra Cuore Suffragio in the centre of Rome is the Museum of Souls in Purgatory. Apparently, there have been various “instances” of souls trapped between heaven and hell trying to draw the attention of the living. They ask for their prayers to help them pass into heaven. The ‘evidence’ of purgatory are imprints on sleeves and handprints burned onto the pages of prayer books.
Chapel of the Dead (Cappela Mortiti), Otranto
The bones and skulls of 813 Otranto martyrs line the Cappella Mortiri (Chapel of the Dead). Beheaded during the Turkish massacre of 1480, they are on permanent display. As well as their earthy remains, visitors can see the stone upon which the beheadings took place. Meanwhile, a dungeon-like crypt awaits those still brave enough to descend the stairs.
The Mummies of Ferentillo, Umbria
More mummies, but these are an accident of fate. Below the church of Santo Stefano in this tiny Umbrian village, corpses were attacked by a rare microfungus. The effect, transformation into mummies. Some of the bodies are on display in The Museum of the Mummies of Ferentillo in the bottom of the church. Some of the corpse still have hair, beards and teeth. Among the corpses are a mother with her baby, a lawyer who was murdered and the lawyer’s murderer.
Evil Tower, Castello di Poppi
The myth says the soul of Matelda, who allegedly murdered her lover after love-making, pervades this spot. Buried in the evil tower, her soul continues to exert itself in the spooky tower.
Poveglia, Venice
Can you hear the screams of the dead as you pass Poveglia? Some locals say they have. Quite possibly the creepiest place in Italy, ‘The Forbidden Island’ is not open to tourists. In the Venetian lagoon, a healer is said to have cursed the island, saying it will never be inhabited again. Used as a mass burial ground during the Black Death and other plagues, it later became a hospital for the mentally ill.
Legend has it a doctor tortured patients with experimental therapies. He went mad himself and jumped from a window to his death, but his body was never found. At least 160,000 people died on Poveglia, confirming its status as one of the places with the highest amount of deaths per square meter.
