Italy has always been shrouded in a cloak of mystery. This is why it has always been the setting for ghost stories. Its location, its traditions and the invasions received have certainly contributed to making it so throughout history.
It is the reason why Italy is also said to be a place full of ghost legends. There are many stories that can be heard traveling along the boot. However, the south is certainly among the places most affected by infestations. It may be the reason why a shiver runs down your spine as you walk through the towering mountains and beautiful countryside.
Sicily: Thelema Abbey
Aleister Crowley is said to have practiced occultism in this place with his disciples. Now the building in Santa Barbara, Cefalù, is abandoned after being fully exploited in the 20s. Accused of practicing magic, occult rites and not following a linear sexual morality, Crowley will later be kicked out of Italy. It is also said that the place was often a home for many and women with their children. That it was they who took care of the abbey when it was inhabited. To them also the merit of having emptied it following his exile. Little remains of the abandoned place, if not the idea of turning the building into a museum given the various failed sales attempts.
Sardinia: The old convent
It is in the now ancient ruins of Tortolì that the next esoteric scenario takes place. In the old convent of the friars, the souls of those sentenced to hang take over. It seems that one can still hear their voices or see some dynamics between the local religious and those sentenced to death. A place that hides the tunnels of underground passages in its foundations. These were often used for contacts with the city and which many times have been used for serious crimes of homicides but above all of rape. It tells of ghost figures who have not yet left the place where they fell and who today wander around the area of the restored theater intimidating passers-by.
Calabria: the ghost of Murat
Pizzo Calabro. The castle in which Gioacchino Murat was imprisoned and subsequently sentenced to be shot. The stories related to the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte inevitably spilled over to Italy as well, given the historical link. Consequently, the repercussions after the war events also impacted Italy and in this case Calabria. Having no evidence of where Murat's body was buried, it was immediately understood that it was still near the castle of Pizzo Calabro. As evidence of this are the numerous presences of ghosts that surround it. Other people, on the other hand, claim to have the certainty of having seen the hooded ghost of Murat right inside the historic Calabrian palace.
Puglia: The tree overturned by the devil
In Ischitella in the province of Foggia, on the other hand, it is said that San Francesco d'Assisi walked the ground. Once on the spot, he placed his stick on the sole. From this grew the tree around which the mysterious history of the Apulian province is reconstructed.
After some time the tree was found upside down: the roots against nature towards the sky and the branches in the ground. What created the aura of mystery was that despite this the tree unlikely continued to grow. In fact, around the anomalous tree that is said to have been overturned by the devil to discourage the faithful followers of San Francesco, a church was built.
Basilicata: Valsinni Castle
The next sighting is related to a love story. Ended in tragedy, like many of the stories involving Italy in past centuries, these still unclear dynamics find their confirmation only in the presence of local ghosts. The poet Isabella di Morra who lived in the castle was murdered with several stabs. At the age of twenty-six her siblings who did not approve of her relationship with Diego Sandoval broke her life. Covered by a cloak with a large hood, she still wanders around the rooms of the castle near Matera without having found peace.
Campania: The monastery of the monks
The old monastery of the monks on which the curse has been thrown is now a ruin. This time it is the story of a wanderer. He found shelter in the monastery in the locality of Sicignano degli Alburni, in the province of Salerno. And he agreed to adapt his lifestyle to that of the monks. Having found a family in them and a home in that monastery, in a short time this man took his vows and became part of the community of monks. But when he fell in love he broke this pact. The young girl accused of witchcraft paid the consequences of the unfulfilled word. Then in a short time sentenced to death. Since then, the young monk who never resigned himself sold his soul to the devil and hit anyone who ventured into the monastery with a curse.