Knowing Italy – Le Cinque Terre

When I came to Italy well over ten years ago, I was not really aware of all Italy had to offer.  I knew of the legendary big three Italian destinations: Rome, Venice and Florence, and, purely as a result of having seen the photographs of a colleague, I was aware of the stunning beauty of the Amalfi coastline.  From programmes on history, I’d found out about Pompeii. That, I’m sorry to say, was about it.

The Soviore Sanctuary

Amazing though it may seem, I had no idea whatsoever of the existence of such gems as the fabulous Cinque Terre which are three hours away by train from Milan.  Indeed, if you are touring northern Italy by car, you could quite easily drive right past this amazing area without being any the wiser. What a shame.

I spent last weekend with friends and family in the Cinque Terre area of Italy.  It was the first time I had managed to see this magnificent area up close, but before writing about where we went in a little more detail, here is an introduction to the Cinque Terre and where we stayed – a place called the Soviore Sanctuary, which, as you will discover, is rather special.

There were eight of us on this getaway: 5 adults and 3 small boys, and I think it would be fair to say that we all had a wonderful time.  And there were the ghosts!  Photographs of where we stayed and of the ‘ghosts’ follow.

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Ghoulish Gastronomy in Tuscany

Deep in the depths of Tuscany, not too far from a delightful little place called Anghiari, which is on the border with Umbria, there is the hauntingly interesting restaurant the Locanda al Castello di Sorci.

Now, this restaurant, which seems to have a good reputation for its culinary expertise incidentally, has a little extra on its menu, in the form of the ghost of a certain Baldaccio d’Anghiari, who used to own the castle. … Continue Reading

Ghosts Near Rome – Lake Nemi

The second of the Ghosts from Italy series is about the ghosts of those who can be found wandering around near the former Temple of Diana on the shore of Lake Nemi, near Rome.

Apparently these unfortunate, and now ghostly, souls challenged the Temple’s guardian, lost and were sacrificed. As a result of this untimely end, the victims of the guardian’s wrath have been haunting the area ever since.

No special permission appears to be necessary to visit the site, and it seems to be accessible all year round. However parts are on private land, so be careful if you decide to take a closer look. … Continue Reading

Ghosts from Italy

I’ve just added a spooky new category to this blog. It’s the same as the title of this post, which is pretty self explanatory.

Ghosts have always held something of a fascination for me, so I thought I might be fun to write posts on where to find ghosts and ghouls around Italy.

If you would like to add a hauntingly new dimension to your travels around the Living Museum, then this information can be used for ‘fright seeing’. Of course, if you do happen to meet up with an Italian spook, do let me know. Send me your photos too!

Happy ghost hunting!

To kick things off, here is a place you might like to visit on a dark and stormy night:

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Do you believe in ghosts?

Phantasmic goings on at my parents place. My folks live in quite an old house, which was itself built from the stones of a yet older habitation. Builders recently eliminated some damp problems and seem to have released one of those souls who has not yet found his or her path to paradise or wherever it is one goes after vacating one's body on this earth.

So far, my dad has been shoved on two occasions, although nothing was seen to be doing the pushing. And both my parents have seen, at different times, a strange blue globe about the size of a tennis ball drifting along their upstairs corridor. At times my father hears doors closing and while we were staying my other half asked who had been shifting furniture around in the room beneath her. I knew that my mother had been passing through the room under where my other half was sleeping, but my mum did not move anything around, even if she did set a mouse trap, which is not generally one of the noisiest of operations, at least not from my experience, that is.

Ghosts?! Who knows? Strange? Very. Right, I'm off to haunt the sofa for a while to see if there is anything good on the telly.