Archive for 'Legends'

The surrealist painter, Giorgio de Chirico once described Turin as “the most profound, most enigmatic, most disquieting city not only of Italy, but of the world.” It is hard to imagine that he wasn't referring to the rich magical heritage of the city which sees symbols of the occult and confusing mixed messages in public monuments located at every turn. In our first and second articles on magic in Turin, we discussed the magical origins of the city and the major magical destinations. Yet, there is even more to be said! More than could be said in a few articles. However, this is a good place to start to prepare you for what you might expect once you've found a vacation rental in Piedmont and are exploring the city of Turin to take in this spooky past.

From the previous article, you'll know that Turin is a city long connected to magic and which is said to sit at the centre of black and white magic in the world. Due to this, there are some rather unusual sights dotted around the city which have popped up over the ages. On the surface, Turin is just a beautiful Italian city with elegant streets that are reminiscent of Paris and a rich cultural heritage as evidenced by the proliferation of palaces, museums, churches and other stunning buildings. However, once you scratch this lovely surface, you'll see the evidence of its magical past, often out in the open and hiding in plain sight. Find a holiday rental in Piedmont and you can spend a day wandering the streets of Turin and exploring its hidden past.

Turin, Piedmont, is best known for the Turin Shroud, Fiat and its beautiful and elegant streets but locals are aware of another legacy that may be unfamiliar to those visiting the city as tourists. In fact, Turin is a city known for being mysterious and has been associated with magic since its beginnings – both white magic, and black.

According to legend, the city was founded by the son of the goddess Isis, Phaeton. He established the city in order to honour the cult of Apis, which had the features of a bull and this is the animal that was to become the very symbol of Turin.

In 2005, a very unusual discovery was made on the Venetian island of Lazzaretto Nuovo. Among other bodies discovered in the mass plague graves of the island was a woman's skull with a brick jammed into her mouth – a vampire. Thus, Lazzaretto Nuovo became the vampire island of Venice and news outlets from around the world reported on the discovery of the strange corpse. Of course, you might wonder why a brick in her mouth didn't merely suggest an accident or prank but the act of putting a brick in the mouth of a corpse had a very distinct reasoning behind it.

Castel dell' Ovo is a castle which stands on the tiny island of Megaride in Naples. The picturesque castle is steeped in myth and legend with stories about sirens and great Roman poets such as Virgil dotting its history. It also has far-reaching origins going back to this early period. With such a rich heritage, such a stunning location and such an immediately striking appearance, the Castel dell'Ovo is the perfect place to spend an afternoon in Naples, wandering its grounds, hearing its stories and admiring its architecture and the views its ramparts offer.