When you think of Halloween your mind can only go back to the monsters, witches, zombies and ghosts that we have all feared since childhood. A holiday born in Ireland to announce the end of summer and the beginning of winter and celebrated on October 31st, Halloween, to this day, is a true tradition, whose creepy atmosphere can be perceived from the carved pumpkins and the many events organized in your city.
But if you want to discover haunted villages in Italy, which ones to mark on our map? Let’s discover them together!
Triora
In the Argentina Valley, in Liguria, located at 900 meters above sea level, stands Triora, an ancient medieval village which over the years was the stage for the largest witch trials. Consider that in 1588 most of the interrogations of women accused of witchcraft took place, all documented in the Ethnographic and Witchcraft Museum of Triora, which is now open to the public.
An important stop to visit is also Cabotina, a farmhouse where witches gathered according to legend. Triora is characterized by medieval arches carved into the rock that frame the streets and views of the village and is certainly one of the most evocative places to visit during the Halloween period with its numerous thrilling local events.
Craco
Craco is a village located in Basilicata that has remained uninhabited for years. Located on a rocky hill overlooking the valley, it is considered one of the most famous ghost villages in Italy. For years the houses did not host human beings and this only fueled the fear that the small village already instilled given its unusual position and far from the neighboring towns.
Craco was in fact chosen as a film location for several national and international films such as “Gospel according to Matthew” by Pier Paolo Pasolini, “The Passion” by Mel Gibson and many others. A destination absolutely worth visiting but in company!
Civita di Bagnoregio
Located on a hill and reachable only thanks to a bridge, Civita di Bagnoregio is also known as the “dying city”. It is so called because it is located on a hill of tuff (an extrusive magmatic rock) and its position, although strategic in the past, is today precarious because the clay banks that support it are often subject to erosion.
There “dying city” it is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy and therefore a place to be discovered even more during the Halloween holiday!
Village in Mozzano
Borgo a Mozzano is a village that embodies deep-rooted fears of the inhabitants and visitors. There is a bridge that crosses the Serchio river and that inspires terror just by saying it: “the devil’s bridge”. The name comes from an ancient legend: the master builder in charge of building a bridge during its construction realized that he could not finish it within the expected time, so the devil proposed him a deal: he could finish the bridge if only he allowed him to take the soul of the first person who crossed it.
The master builder accepted but then, consumed by remorse, he made a pig cross the bridge. The trap succeeded, the devil took the animal’s soul and the master builder threw himself from the bridge into the Serchio river.
Fosdinovo
In the province of Massa-Carrara lies Fosdinovo, an art village dominated by the Malaspina castle, a historic residence in which, according to legend, female figures take shape inside during the full moon phase.
These women could be the ghost of the Marquise Cristina Adelaide Pallavicino, whose habit was to throw her lovers into a well once the love affair was over, and the ghost Bianca Maria Malaspina, walled up alive inside the castle. Whether it is one woman or the other, one thing is certain: visiting the Malaspina Castle will be a unique emotion.
Calcata
In the province of Viterbo, perched on a tuff cliff in the Treja Valley, lies Calcata, often nicknamed the “village of witches”. The village was abandoned in the first half of the twentieth century due to static problems, then reoccupied in the 1960s by artists and free spirits.
According to local legends, on windy nights ghostly songs and whispers can be heard in the streets, as if ancient presences still wandered among the stones. Some theories speak of mysterious underground energies, perhaps due to a sort of “esoteric node” underground. Every night in October, the village comes alive with themed events, shows and night-time itineraries to delve into its esoteric aura.
Gradara
In the village of Gradara, on the hills of the Marche region, hovers the dark legend of Paolo and Francesca, the lovers betrayed and killed within the walls of the famous castle. It is said that their spirits still live among the halls and corridors of the manor, sighing their eternal pain.
During the Halloween period the castle is transformed: lit candles, theatrical visits and Gothic suggestions envelop the village in a Dante-like atmosphere that gives you goosebumps.
Montebello (Montebello Castle)
At the castle of Montebello, in Romagna, the story is told of the mysterious disappearance of the little girl Guendalina Malatesta, better known as Azzurrina, which occurred in 1375 while she was playing in the basement. Various testimonies state that on certain nights her crying can still be heard echoing between damp walls and dark corridors.
Visiting it at Halloween means immersing yourself in a medieval tale of mystery and childish presences who have never found peace.
Lucedio
Among the rice fields of Piedmont, near Vercelli, the Abbey of Lucedio is hidden: a monument that gives goosebumps, steeped in legends. It is rumored that, in times gone by, occult monks dedicated themselves to esoteric rituals in the cells and that, at night, the moans of the damned echoed in the corridors.
The “Corridor of Lost Steps” is at the center of ancient beliefs: some local guides swear they have heard disturbing footsteps when the silence is thickest. A perfect stop for those who want a Halloween outside the classic routes.
Venzone
In Friuli, Venzone holds a macabre “treasure”: the mummies of Venzone, natural bodies found in the Cathedral and preserved by still mysterious causes. The Chapel of San Michele and the crypt under the cathedral are worth a visit, where these motionless figures stand out in the darkness.
Legend has it that a particular mold prevented decomposition, but the true aura of mystery remains intact: the mummies attract visitors and curious people, especially in autumn, when the atmosphere of the village becomes suspended and silent.
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