Venice is a city steeped in fascinating history but sometimes all that history can be overwhelming or unending and you need a little bit of a break from it or to absorb it in a different way. It's easier to learn or take in information if it's in a fun way, which is why it might be a good idea to do the ghost tour of Venice, rather than a regular guided tour. Taking place at night and on foot, it's a fantastic way to get a real feel of the layout and atmosphere of the city while learning and being thrilled at the same time!
If you're feeling brave enough, why not find a villa with pool in Veneto and head into Venice some night for a fright?
The tour begins at 8pm (so, it takes place in the dark in winter months) at the Rialto Bridge and lasts an hour and a half. An expert guide will then meet the gathered group and lead you around Venice on foot, showing the city's hidden corners and telling six ghost stories, legends and about the history of the city as you go. As the guides are well-informed about the city, they can also answer questions you may have as well, meaning that you won't leave without having learned a thing or two!
The tour begins at 8pm (so, it takes place in the dark in winter months) at the Rialto Bridge and lasts an hour and a half. An expert guide will then meet the gathered group and lead you around Venice on foot, showing the city's hidden corners and telling six ghost stories, legends and about the history of the city as you go. As the guides are well-informed about the city, they can also answer questions you may have as well, meaning that you won't leave without having learned a thing or two!
One of the legends you'll hear about is of the child-killing butcher of Venice, Biasio who, during the time of the Serenissima Republic, was famous for his sausages and meat dishes.
The story goes that a customer found a small portion of a human finger in his food one day and immediately called the police. When they went into the back of Biasio’s shop, they found children’s bodies.
Biasio confessed to killing them to add more flavour to his dishes but it was never established how many children he killed or how he got hold of them.
The serial killer was dragged by a horse to the prisons where he had his hands chopped off and was then tortured and beheaded in St Mark’s Square. The house and shop were demolished but the name Biasio has remained in the collective imagination of the city.
In addition to telling wicked tales, the tour introduces visitors to sites such as the beautiful, and reputedly haunted, Bovolo staircase and the Fortuny Palace. The guide also brings the group to delve into one of the city’s last secret passages where one man would meet his married lover under the cover of night and the Calle dei Assassini, a shadowy street once frequented by killers and criminals and where brutal murders took place. Tickets cost just €25.00 and this tour really is the perfect way to see Venice in a different light.
The story goes that a customer found a small portion of a human finger in his food one day and immediately called the police. When they went into the back of Biasio’s shop, they found children’s bodies.
Biasio confessed to killing them to add more flavour to his dishes but it was never established how many children he killed or how he got hold of them.
The serial killer was dragged by a horse to the prisons where he had his hands chopped off and was then tortured and beheaded in St Mark’s Square. The house and shop were demolished but the name Biasio has remained in the collective imagination of the city.
In addition to telling wicked tales, the tour introduces visitors to sites such as the beautiful, and reputedly haunted, Bovolo staircase and the Fortuny Palace. The guide also brings the group to delve into one of the city’s last secret passages where one man would meet his married lover under the cover of night and the Calle dei Assassini, a shadowy street once frequented by killers and criminals and where brutal murders took place. Tickets cost just €25.00 and this tour really is the perfect way to see Venice in a different light.
Photo credits
picture 2: Stefano Remo / CC BY 3.0
picture 2: Stefano Remo / CC BY 3.0