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High in the mountains north of Lecco, tucked away by the side of a little-travelled road, there is a house. If you drove past at speed, you might not notice it at all. If you did see it, you’d probably dismiss it as just another once-beautiful, half-ruined villa of the kind that is common in Italy.
On this occasion, you’d be wrong. This is la casa più infestata d’Italia, the most haunted house in Italy. La villa delle streghe, or the witches’ villa.
On this occasion, you’d be wrong. This is la casa più infestata d’Italia, the most haunted house in Italy. La villa delle streghe, or the witches’ villa.
On certain nights, it is said, the sound of piano music has been heard coming from the deserted villa. The ghost of a child has apparently been witnessed within and near the house, while a woman’s cries and lamentations are sometimes heard. Even the fountain in the grounds was once said to spurt blood.
What kind of history could give rise to such horrors?
First, the undisputed facts. The house was constructed for Felice De Vecchi in the 1850s, and was – originally – a magnificent place. It contained an ultra-modern system of internal tubes, designed to deliver reliable heating to the various rooms, and was decorated in accordance with De Vecchi’s passion for the Orient. But the family abandoned it in the 1930s, and it has since fallen into disrepair and decay. The original furnishings have been looted, and the house has – predictably – been the target of vandals.
What kind of history could give rise to such horrors?
First, the undisputed facts. The house was constructed for Felice De Vecchi in the 1850s, and was – originally – a magnificent place. It contained an ultra-modern system of internal tubes, designed to deliver reliable heating to the various rooms, and was decorated in accordance with De Vecchi’s passion for the Orient. But the family abandoned it in the 1930s, and it has since fallen into disrepair and decay. The original furnishings have been looted, and the house has – predictably – been the target of vandals.
Such is the certain truth. It is overlaid, however, by the sediment of myth.
According to one legend, Felice De Vecchi returned home to the villa one day to find that his wife had been murdered and his daughter was missing. Though he searched the nearby woods for weeks, he found no trace of her. Distraught, De Vecchi killed himself.
According to another legend, the occultist Aleister Crowley resided in the villa for a short time. After his departure, a group of his followers stayed on, and summoned a demon during their rituals. The next morning, the local police found the participants’ dead, mutilated bodies in the house. To this day, the villa is apparently something of a draw for local satanists.
According to one legend, Felice De Vecchi returned home to the villa one day to find that his wife had been murdered and his daughter was missing. Though he searched the nearby woods for weeks, he found no trace of her. Distraught, De Vecchi killed himself.
According to another legend, the occultist Aleister Crowley resided in the villa for a short time. After his departure, a group of his followers stayed on, and summoned a demon during their rituals. The next morning, the local police found the participants’ dead, mutilated bodies in the house. To this day, the villa is apparently something of a draw for local satanists.
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