Spooktober: Haunted Italy

The catacombs in Rome are incredibly old, excavated back in the 2nd century. However, the tunnels themselves date back further. The Catacombs, as the name suggests, were used by Christians and Jews over the years as mass graves. There are thousands of bodies and bones resting beneath Rome, and many of the catacombs are around 20 kilometers long. Only five of them are open to the public, but there are well over 40 of them! The catacombs feature ancient sites of Christian worship, Saintly burials, and even an underground art gallery. And, supposedly, there are plenty of ghosts roaming around. After all, with so many bodies, is it difficult to imagine a person or two decided to stick around after death? The eerie display of thousands of skeletons carefully arranged can be enough on its own to incite a creepy feeling, but many people have claimed to see apparitions. Others have felt unseen hands touch them or poke them as they walked around, and most notably, many people have the feeling of being watched intensely when underground. How many eyes exactly are on visitors? No one knows, but maybe you should hop on a tour and try to count them yourself!

The Castello di Bardi, located in the province of Parma, has been around a long time. There are documents pertaining to the castle from as early as 898, when it was purchased by the Bishop of Piacenza, and used as a fortress against possible Hungarian invasions. It has changed hands several times; in the medieval period it became a royal estate for the Landi family, who ruled over the territory until the 1800s, when Ranuccio II Farnese purchased the castle. After his death, it was occupied by the French, then the Bourbons, then returned to Italian ownership. In the 1800s, it served as a military prison, then became a municipal building, and then a public office building until the 1980s. In the 90s, restorations began, and today this historical building stands tall and is open to the public. However, it seems restoration attempts kicked up more than just a little dust. In 1995, paranormal reports began streaming in. Two journalists who spent the night in the fortress caught a photo of an apparition, misty and white, which could not be explained. Following investigations with two mediums, a biologist and several lab technicians caught even more evidence. Thermal imaging cameras and other instruments captured strange temperature variations throughout the property that could not be explained, and, the story goes, the spirit of a knight in armor appeared; this was the same knight written of in The Tragedy of Soleste & Moroello, a 15th century tale of a knight from Parma who haunts the Castello di Bardi looking for his lover; she killed herself when he did not return from war, and he, in his grief, took his own life too. It seems his soul still has not found hers.

Is it a surprise that such an iconic landmark could be haunted? With so much history under its belt, there has been plenty of opportunities for the paranormal to play here. The Roman Colosseum was built in 72AD under the emperor Vespasian, and took 8 years to finish construction, in which time two other emperors ruled over Rome. Built from limestone, concrete and volcanic rock, this incredible structure was an entertainment center for the citizens of Rome, playing host to public executions, hunting spectacles, battle reenactments, and, most notably, gladiatorial combat. Plenty of blood was shed on the Colosseum floor over the years. From the imported wild animals hunted for sport to the grueling duels of gladiators, well over 400 thousand lives were lost within these walls, more when considering the lives of animals. However, it seems that some of their souls never left the famous landmark. Many times, visitors and staff have seen apparitions within the Colosseum. A Roman soldier is said to patrol the halls, and often, people have even seen several ghostly crowd members in the bleachers who mysteriously disappear. Paranormal sounds are also frequently heard here. Many have heard screams and unpleasant moans, from injured gladiators or ancient prisoners, and people have even heard animals: roaring, growling and whimpering have all been heard echoing around the Colosseum walls. If that weren’t spooky enough, other phenomena are common here too; the temperature has been known to suddenly drop and rise, and light anomalies and spirit orbs have also been captured here. If you’re feeling brave, you can book a night tour and try to capture some paranormal pictures yourself.

Our spines are positively tingling after these stories, and our brains are already concocting travel plans to Italy! Would you visit these haunted landmarks? Or do you prefer your travel companions to still draw breath?