While Halloween is not an Italian tradition by any means, the country offers several opportunities for those on the trail for spooks. Here are some chilling, mysterious tours of famous Italian destinations from North to South, to let you get closer to the darker side of the 'bel paese'.
Experience some unforgettable Halloween tours, discovering Italy's own unique and stylish twist on the annual ghoulish gaiety!
Florence - Halloween Walking Tour
The moonlit streets of Florence will bewitch you on a stroll through the darker side of the city's history, visiting the locations that inspired Dante Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy, with its famous depictions of hell. This tour will also explore the settings of Dan Brown's Inferno, which owes much to Dante's work.
You will meander through the city's mysterious alleyways, stopping at bell-towers, ancient prisons, and the headquarters of one of the most notorious Medieval Florentine gangs. You'll visit the scenes of horrific crimes of passion and hear ghastly tales of ghosts and the occult.
Available on getyourguide.com
Venice - Murders and Mysteries Venice Evening Walk
If you want to find yourself immersed in the mysterious atmosphere of Venice, like Commissario Guido Brunetti in one of Donna Leon crime novels set in Venice, take the Murders and Mysteries Venice Evening Walk.
You will hear legends of ghosts and murderous intrigues and take secret routes through a labyrinth of narrow 'calli' (alleyways), where shadows linger and footsteps echo. A chance to learn the story about the mysterious footprints, the headless body, and about the Calle degli Assassini (assassin's alleyway) and the murdered women dressed in white. Finally, you’ll hear about ill-fated La Fenice Theatre, and the mystery surrounding the fire that finally destroyed this Venetian icon.
Available on getyourguide.com
Rome - Ghosts of Rome Tour
According to Greek historian and Roman citizen, Plutarch, the large bend of the River Tiber that forms a crescent between Ponte Sisto and Ponte Umberto I is the site of a door to the underworld. It is here that the Romans established the cult of Persephone and Ditis, and where Roman ghosts are said to have appeared on the banks and under bridges. King Umberto I of Savoy, the libertine Pope Alexander VI Borgia, and the controversial papal advisor Olympia Maidalchini, known as "Pimpaccia of Piazza Navona,” have all been seen a number of times. The lives of these and more will offer endless inspiration during your Ghosts of Rome tour from Ponte Sant'Angelo to Ponte Sisto, passing through Piazza Navona and Campo de 'Fiori.
You will hear the stories of Rome's restless spirits, wander past historic monuments, such as the Ponte Sant'Angelo and Piazza Navona, and learn about the city’s ghosts and ghouls that still roam restless at night.
Available on getyourguide.com
Turin - Turin Underground Tour
While Turin is generally known for its baroque, neo-classical, and Art Nouveau architecture, the rich labyrinth of underground tunnels and cellars is still surprising experience for most visitors and might have contributed to the city's long and sinister reputation as one of the most haunted cities in the world. Many tourist guidebooks claim that the city forms an angle of two ‘magic triangles’, one white, one black, connecting it to other Western cities, and some people consider it as the centre of Satanism in the world.
Fifteen metres below the city the tunnels of the citadel and the sub-cellars of the Baroque palaces are waiting for you to discover their mysteries. The tour explains the history of this unique part of the city, as well as share haunting stories of murder and mystery, including visits to the sites of gory murders which have never been solved, as well as the famous Royal ice depots under Porta Palazzo.
Available on getyourguide.com
Palermo - Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo
And if your interest in spooky stories includes a thirst for gruesome and macabre experiences, then do not miss a visit to the burial chambers of the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, with the mummified bodies of friars and local luminaries. Palermo's Capuchin monastery outgrew its original cemetery in the 16th century and monks began to excavate crypts below it. In 1599 they mummified one of their number, recently dead brother Silvestro of Gubbio, and placed him into the catacombs.
Originally the catacombs were intended only for the dead friars. However, in the following centuries it became a status symbol to be entombed into the Capuchin catacombs. In their wills, local luminaries would ask to be preserved in certain clothes, or even to have their clothes changed at regular intervals.
Some 8,000 bodies of men and women were ultimately buried in the catacombs, including the mummy of friar Silvestro of Gubbio, the first body to be buried in the catacombs. The corpses are divided into categories, such as friars, virgins, and professors, and often recognizable by their decaying clothing. As you walk through the corridors, you will see ghastly bodies that include the mummified corpse of the painter Velazquez
And as this experience might really shock you, you can swap corpses for gold and marble as you visit the 12th-century Arab-Norman Cathedral in Monreale at the end of the tour, and come back to life in one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in the world.
Available on getyourguide.com
