Despite being a fairly recent addition to the “Italian holiday kit”, Halloween has crept into the Italians’ favorites and has now a remarkable status: while the day doesn’t hold the “officiality” of the original US celebration, Halloween parties, as well jack-o’-lanterns and spiderwebs are more and more familiar, and more and more neighborhoods set up some version of trick-or-treats crawl. So, it might not be a mainstream thing like in the US, but the two celebrations have something in common: the spookiness. Let’s discover some eerie, creepy, haunted —you name it— places in Italy. Italians would qualify them as spettrali, infestati, or simply, paurosi (spooky, indeed).
Venezia: Poveglia and Ca’ Dario
Given that going to Venezia is always a good —if not relaxing, with its 25 million visitors a year— idea, a great place to immerse in the Halloween spirit is definitely Poveglia, an island located in the Venetian Lagoon and known as l’isola dei fantasmi (The Ghosts’ Island) or l’isola senza ritorno (The Island of No Return). Although referred to as an island, Poveglia is, in fact, an archipelago of three tiny islets. After serving as a quarantine station for plague victims and later as a psychiatric hospital, the island has been abandoned and uninhabited since the 1970s. Its gloomy past and its inevitably eerie present look make Poveglia the perfect “Halloween Island”. It’s maybe worth noting that it is only accessible by private boat; plus, you might want to consider that, in 2016, five American tourists who had decided to stay overnight were “rescued” by firefighters after having reported hearing ghostly laments and voices. OK, that may very well be exaggerated. Since you’re close, you might want to detour to Ca’ Dario, a haunted house that also happens to be a gorgeous palace decorated with the most precious marbles. But, according to the tradition, each of its owners, and even tenants, is doomed to end up financially broke or suffer a violent death. No mention to visitors, so you should be safe! Anyway, let’s discover some other approachable alternatives.
Dark cities and spooky landmarks
Many Italian cities simply scream Halloween. Venezia itself, with its canali (canals), calli (alleys), rich in (crime) history, mystery, and ghosts (maybe?). You can visit the Palazzo delle Prigioni, or the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs), which has plenty of stories of lost souls to offer. But simply wandering the city, in the most likely grey and gloomy weather of October 31, should do. Another spooky city is Torino, which is said to be one of the vertices of two triangoli magici (magic triangles): the one of magia bianca (white magic)—the other two vertices being Lyon and Prague— and the one of magia nera (dark magic)—together with London and San Francisco. The darkest heart of the city is said to be Piazza Statuto, which supposedly attracts negative vibes, with the bright Piazza Castello being its opposite; also, consider Cimitero Monumentale and Santuario della Consolata—all these places come with esoteric vibe as well as stories and legends of sacrifices, magic, and old good ghosts. The Cimitero Monumentale is a landmark of many other cities, like the one in Milano, or the Staglieno in Genova, one of the biggest in Europe, with its remarkable statues.
Another option is to explore the underground part of a city: many European cities hide a parallel—literally underground— world made of secret passages and long and narrow tunnels: le catacombe. The catacombe of Roma and Napoli are the most famous; the ones in Roma extend for almost 100 miles underground. Both can tell you a lot about the perception of death in different times in history.
If you’re feeling more festive than dark, you might want to check the Halloween Horror Festival in Mirabilandia, a theme park located near Ravenna, by the Riviera Romagnola. Or simply pumpkin picking might reveal how Halloween in Italy is the same yet different celebration compared to the US. It’s hard not to notice Halloween these days, although for many older Italians —or simply +40—this is still something American-only. In any case, buon Halloween and buon dolcetto o scherzetto!
By Claudia Quesito
Also read:
Spooky Myths and Legends… But Wait: Is There Such a Thing as an Italian Halloween?
