Mysterious Venice: ghosts, murders and unnerving legends

The labyrinth of alleys, squares, stairs, bridges and porticos, combined with the fog, the tricks of light reflected in the water, the abandoned areas, buildings that are mostly in ruins, the sudden glimpse of a gondola… all of these can play on your imagination in Venice, the city of mysteries par excellence. The Most Serene Republic of Venice made the ideal background for books or films brimming with secrets, and it saw some of its real intrigues turned into spy stories. Individuals like Casanova became symbols of the passions created by lies and trickery. Venice’s Carnival, one of the most famous in the world with its masks and costumes, also lends itself to mysteries, as does the Venetians love of gossip, and oral accounts have filled with city with stories that vacillate between truth and legend, the occult and science, tall tales and poetry. Take, for example, Calle della Morte, literally “Death Alley”, whose very name is a piece of history. The alley is found near the Church of...

Read More