You may know about (or perhaps have visited) the Catacombs, but did you know that one of the creepiest places in Rome can be found hidden underneath the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione on Via Veneto, the street mainly known for its role in La Dolce Vita?
This chapel was a favorite childhood “haunt” of mine. I was mesmerized by the intricate decorations created with all the bones, the walls of skulls, the hooded friars. The one that got me most, though, was the bones of a young princess adorning one of the chapel ceilings. In those days there were only a few people who visited. I took my kids one year when they were young but by then it was teeming with tourists, you had to pay to get in, and you were allotted only a few minutes to go through it. It kind of ruined the experience!
Yes, now you have to pay and go through a museum about the friars in order to see it. But when I visited on a late afternoon in January, shortly before the museum's closing time, it was nearly empty. So perhaps you just have to find the right time to go!
Halloween is becoming more popular in Italy, but still isn’t as big a deal as it is in the U.S. All Saints Day (Nov. 1st) is a bank holiday, though, so most offices and businesses are closed.
I visited the Capuchin crypt in Palermo, which was creepy enough, but am now keen to discover this structure of bones, too.
I haven’t been to the one in Palermo. I’ll have to check it out the next time I’m there.
This chapel was a favorite childhood “haunt” of mine. I was mesmerized by the intricate decorations created with all the bones, the walls of skulls, the hooded friars. The one that got me most, though, was the bones of a young princess adorning one of the chapel ceilings. In those days there were only a few people who visited. I took my kids one year when they were young but by then it was teeming with tourists, you had to pay to get in, and you were allotted only a few minutes to go through it. It kind of ruined the experience!
Yes, now you have to pay and go through a museum about the friars in order to see it. But when I visited on a late afternoon in January, shortly before the museum's closing time, it was nearly empty. So perhaps you just have to find the right time to go!
How do Italians celebrate Halloween? Is it primarily a children's holiday? Do they trick or treat or dress in costumes?
Halloween is becoming more popular in Italy, but still isn’t as big a deal as it is in the U.S. All Saints Day (Nov. 1st) is a bank holiday, though, so most offices and businesses are closed.