Get to know Naples Following the spirits that animate the city!

Magical place where the plots of stories are intertwined with the enchanting narrow streets and characteristic alleys that hide many myths and legends.

When the shadow of evening falls over the historic center, who is not dazzled by the special light that envelops the night in a halo of mystery?

We have designed seven routes suitable for those who want to try to immerse themselves in this atmosphere to discover an esoteric Naples.

Wizards and ghosts among breathtaking vistas

Those who are fascinated by magic, on this path can meet the magician Virgil and the Siren Partenope.

Starting from Mergellina Station, on the right, just after Piedigrotta Station, we find the Vergilian Park, a place from which to admire some of the most beautiful postcard scenery in Naples but which also has a magical side to it. In fact, after Leopardi's tomb we find, as we climb the hill, the tomb of the supreme poet Virgil.

The lovers still leave their poems and promises of love on Virgil's altar near the cenotaph.

Going down the Piedigrotta slope, we arrive at Piazza Sannazzaro where it is possible to admire the Fountain of the Siren Partenope. According to legend, the mermaid is the patroness of Naples, in this place as we approach the sea, we will almost seem to hear her bewitching song in the distance.

A little further on we overlook Palazzo Donn'Anna, named for Anna Carafa, sole owner of the palace. It is said that this palace often hosted Queen Giovanna II of Anjou for her nights of passion.

Tales of ghosts fuel the atmosphere that envelops the building, suspended between water and hillside, where the sound of waves seems to awaken the aching spirits of lovers.

Naples and its ghostly alleys

In a second possible route, with any luck, we can find the Bella Mbriana, the ghost of Giambattista della Porta, the eerie ghost of the mason in Via Tarsia, and even the Templars!

Among the alleys of Naples it is not difficult to meet the Bella Mbriana, a maiden abandoned at the altar, who in despair over what had happened began wandering the streets of the city and entering houses in order to observe moments of daily life. Her father offered money to anyone who would host the girl, which is why Bella Mbriana is considered the patroness of the house.

The ghost of Giambattista della Porta and the mason of Via Tarsia

Giambattista Della Porta, a man of great wisdom, was born and lived in Naples, in Palazzo della Porta on Via Toledo. We still find him hanging around the palace, in a dark suit scanning passersby.

The story of the bricklayer from Via Tarsia begins in 1955: a little girl who had just moved with her family to No. 11 Via Tarsia, every night naively greeted a stranger walking on the balcony.

The other members of the family also felt strange sensations and noises, sometimes a few knocks could be heard at the front door, but there was never anyone there to slip the key in.

The house was abandoned because of these apparitions. Later, others who lived in the building also noticed a strange presence: doors being opened by a dark hand, knocking and sending to the doors.

Some people reportedly said that during the construction of the building a bricklayer died very violently and the body was buried inside the structure, condemning his soul to wander there forever.

Continuing on Via Toledo, it is impossible not to stop and admire. Doria d'Angri Palace, in Piazza Sette Settembre, built entirely of tuff. Garibaldi was housed in the palace.

The tour concludes by visiting Piazza del Gesù, with the Church of Gesù Nuovo on whose walls is said to be encoded the Templars' route into the Naples Underground, leading to the Egyptian Fountain of Morfisia, the fountain of immortality, fed by the waters of the Sebeto. The stones of the Gesù Nuovo church are said to hide the pentagram of a madrigal.

A tour through the passions of Joan of Anjou and the torments of Maria d'Avalos

On the third walking route we might meet Joan of Anjou and Maria d'Avalos.

Joan of Anjou, queen of Naples, was assassinated for the throne in 1382 by four assassins on the orders of Charles III of Durazzo.

Since Joan, first buried in St. Clare, was later thrown into a mass grave, her soul finds no peace and continues to roam the alleys near the Monastery of St. Clare. Woe betide anyone who crosses paths with Joan's ghost; anyone who looks into her eyes while weeping and praying is doomed to certain death.

The anatomical machines of the Prince of San Severo

The figure of Raimondo di Sangro, prince of San Severo still causes consternation today: the prince, devoted to alchemy, frequented the circles of the occult and was a Freemason.

Beneath the world-famous Veiled Christ, in the basement of the chapel are the anatomical machines: the skeleton of two disembodied bodies, a man and a woman, of which the entire arterial and venous systems are visible, a fetus and an open placenta bound by the umbilical cord.

Reproductions so perfect that they were long thought to have been created by injecting a still-living heart with mercury on the dying body.

The Ghost of Maria D'Avalos

Walking in San Domenico Maggiore, when there is a new moon, you might hear the wail of a woman, and see in her ghost's eyes still the terror of the mad deed. The woman is covered in her robes, and she is the ghost of Maria D'Avalos, the young bride of Carlo Gesualdo, who was daggered to death by assassins sent by her husband on October 17, 1590.

The Priestesses of the Devil

The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore at Pietrasanta stands on the remains of the temple of Diana. This is where the ianare operated, believed to be able to invoke the devil who terrorized passersby by presenting himself in the form of a huge pig.

To Diana women turned for painless parts until the church was made to be built on the Holy Stone, which came from the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Sion brought to Naples from Jerusalem by pilgrims after whom it was named.

Church of the Anime del Purgatorio in Arco

A 13th-century church that has bronze skulls on the outside and is dedicated to the souls in purgatory. Prominent among the skulls in the ossuary is the Skull of Lucia D'amore daughter of the prince of Ruffano, or skull with a bridal veil. Near this skull, in fact, are notes left by women who want to find a husband or need to be reconciled with him. Lucia, in fact, was a bride betrothed to Marquis Giacomo Santomago but was never able to marry because she died prematurely: she has been thought to protect brides ever since.

Watch out for the Royal Palace--and Virgil

On this route we come across the ghost of Charles III of Bourbon haunting the Royal Palace in Plebiscite Square, and we discover the magic of Virgil.

During the night in the Royal Palace of Naples you can meet the ghost of Prince Charles III of Bourbon. The story goes that Charles fell in love with Penelope, a beautiful Irish tourist, but his brother Ferdinand would not allow him to marry her. Charles then fled with his beloved. Ferdinand first sent a letter to his brother where he asked him to stay, then issued a decree forbidding members of the royal household to leave the kingdom without his permission, on pain of losing their possessions.

Charles, however, married Penelope in Scotland anyway, a marriage never recognized by Ferdinand, who had all his property seized. Charles found himself in exile and poor. Two sons were born of this marriage, also never recognized. This is why Charles still wanders the empty rooms of the palace today, seeking justice and the possessions he was denied in life.

The spells of Virgil poet and magician

Not many people know that the poet Virgil, also believed to be a magician and protector of the city until he was replaced by the cult of San Gennaro, hurled several curses into Campanian territory.

The first ties the fate of the city of Naples to the castle that stands on the tufa islet of Megaride at the center of the Marinari village: the Castel dell'Ovo built by William. Virgil had an egg inserted into the foundation in a glass jug to which he tied the fate of the city of Naples. As long as the egg remained intact, the city would be saved.

Hold on to your soul--and cover your neck tightly!

On this route we find a mysterious church and palace. It seems that in the chapel of the Ferriglios, the Cloister of Santa Maria La Nova, Count Dracula is buried. Princess Maria Blasa, daughter of Dracula, Count Vlad III Tepez, fleeing Turkish persecution came to Naples under the protection of Ferdinand of Aragon in 1479 and married Count Giacomo Alfonso Ferriglio. Meanwhile, Dracula was captured in battle by the Ottomans, who demanded a ransom from the princess, which the latter paid to bring Dracula to Naples. On the tomb is a satanic cross and interior carvings with various esoteric figures such as a skull pierced by a cross, numerical sequences and concentric circles.

Penne Palace

One of the Devil's appearances in Naples is said to have been in Penne Palace, identified, precisely, as the Devil's Palace.

Anthony, a builder, asked the devil for help in building this palace in one night to marry the woman he was in love with. The builder promised to surrender his soul to the devil only if Satan counted all the grains of wheat scattered in the courtyard. He managed to evade the evil one by scattering, along with the grains of wheat, pitch and thus making it impossible to count them.

Come on and cheer up, let's delve into the Naples Underground!

We get off at the Piazza Amedeo stop, reach Avalos Palace and Naples Underground with the Munaciello. Along this route, it is absolutely necessary to stop and visit Palazzo d'Avalos, a historic-artistic building in Naples.

After Palazzo d'Avalos, we head into the underground passages of Naples, where we find traces of the passage of the Knights Templar. Here both 12 Templar crosses engraved between the walls marking an underground passageway , and an inverted triangle Latin cross have been found.

The Munaciello

The most famous ghost in Naples is definitely the Munaciello: traverses the city through the tunnels of Naples Underground And by entering homes it especially annoys beautiful women.

We also find him among the main characters in "Cat Cinderella."

According to legend he is the son of Caterina Frezza, a Neapolitan noblewoman who was forced by her mother to take vows. Caterina's son then secretly escaped from the convent dressed, precisely, as a monk.

The origin of the legend of the munaciello could be attributed to events related to the water well attendant who, unpaid for his services, took revenge on his patrons by playing pranks on the inhabitants and dressed in a kind of habit to protect himself from the humidity.

The Munaciello enjoys mischief but also brings money and winning numbers for the lotto.

Any brave people want to cross spirits in the car?

The esoteric path for those who love to drive takes us to the Submerged Park of Gaiola and to the Bay of Two Friars in Posillipo, places the scene of ancient legends about tormented spirits.

Abandoned villa on the islet of Gaiola

The place has been the scene of gruesome scenarios since Roman times. It is said that Publius Ovedio Pollione used to breed moray eels in tanks dug into the tufa rock to which he fed slaves. Virgil is also said to be responsible for the curse of Gaiola. The place where Virgil's school of magic is said to have stood is in fact still there, submerged, a few meters from the Gaiola, and the surrounding waters would therefore have been poisoned by the very potions dispersed by the magician.

Those who stay too long at Gaiola receive omens of sudden death and nefarious events as the price of their long stay.

Between history and legend seven are the deaths that occurred or other misfortunes for those who were too nearby: Luigi De Negri fish farm in ruins , Gaspare Albenga ran his vessel aground on the shoal of the cavallara located nearby, Hans Praun and Otto Grumbach after the death of Elena Von Parish committed suicide, Morris Andoss ended up in a psychiatric clinic and committed suicide, Agnelli, Paul Getty in 1973 the ndranghetà kidnapped his son. Gian Pasquale Grappone LLoyd Centauro ended up in jail for bankruptcy, the day the mansion was auctioned his wife died in a car accident.

Posillipo, the legend of the Bay of Two Friars

Another Naples legend is that of the Cala di San Pietro ai due Frati, also known as Baia dei due Frati, in Posillipo. Here, two brothers named Carmine and Luigi jumped into the sea one night to save a fishing boat during a storm, but they managed to save only a girl, Concetta, while her father and brother died. Concetta was housed and cared for as a daughter.

The two brothers, however, fell in love with her and began a close courtship; Concetta initially approached Carmine but then shifted her attention to Luigi, and the two became enemies.

So Luigi devised a plan: he disguised himself on carnival night and kidnapped Concetta to leave with her. The woman once her kidnapper was unmasked rebelled, but Luigi dragged her into the boat anyway.

Carmine meanwhile was looking for his beloved and saw in the distance what was happening, rushed to save Concetta wielding a knife to strike the man who was kidnapping her and stabbed him in the heart.

When Carmine realized that he had just killed his brother, distraught he took the blade and pierced his heart. From that night on Concetta was never heard from again; some say that destroyed by grief she committed suicide shortly afterward.

Legend has it that at night the ghosts of Carmine and Luigi still wander in search of their beloved on the rock where the tragedy occurred. One night a lightning bolt split the rock into two parts, which has since borne the name of the two unfortunate brothers. It is said that every year, on St. Peter and Paul's Day, the rocks mysteriously reverse places.

At the end of this path we can glimpse Donn'Anna Palace, which we have already mentioned.

Stories of skulls and graces

Haven't had enough of ghosts yet? You can take the metro and get off at the Materdei stop. From here you can visit the Fontanelle Cemetery, an ossuary carved out of a tuff quarry where people use to ask for graces by offering flowers and lighting candles. The skulls that granted graces are the ones secured more than the others.