The 6 Creepiest Places in (the Wine Regions of) Europe
What with Halloween coming up and everything, we decided that we’d step back from the wine-heavy blogging for a bit and go for something a bit spookier: a simple list of some of the darkest, creepiest places in Europe. Well, not all of Europe – we’ve kept it limited to places that do offer up a decent glass of wine. Not because it’s our remit, you see, but because the wine just might help you cope.
The Catacombs of Paris
Let’s begin with a classic. Paris’ catacombs stretch out for miles and miles underneath the city; the public ossuary itself makes up only a small portion of the subterranean labyrinth, and constitutes the only section you can get into nowadays without facing some pretty hefty fines and a possible criminal conviction. This is known as the Denfert-Rochereau Ossuary, which is made up of just over four miles of caverns, and isn’t half creepy in itself – an endless array of carefully arranged human remains reach into the dark, lining the walls like macabre ornaments – but it’s that forbidden section that’s really fascinating. Known as the Mines of Paris, these 200 miles of caverns, many of which also act as mass graves, cover the entire underside of the city, and are still braved by cataphiles and urban explorers to this day (not that we could ever endorse that, of course – those fines just aren’t worth it). In the past, the mines have been used by the French Resistance, a number of Parisian art movements and clandestine organisations (one of which even set up a cinema beneath the Trocadéro) and most of the city’s criminal organisations. Most of the entrances are sealed, and those who do find a way in are advised to have with them somebody who knows their way around if they ever want to find a way out again.
Château de Brissac
The Château de Brissac, in the Loire Valley, is generally regarded as one of the most haunted places in Europe. Look past the surrounding vineyards and the splendid décor, and you’ll find the tale of the Green Lady, one Charlotte of France, who was married to Jacques de Breze, Grand Seneschal of Normandy and owner of the castle. Long story short, Charlotte had a bit of a fling with one of the estate’s huntsmen, and Jacques decided that the reasonable and measured response would be to either, depending on which version of the story you believe, hack them both to death with his sword, or strangle Charlotte in the Chapel Tower later that day. Jacques quite literally got away with murder and lived happily ever after, whilst Charlotte’s ghost still haunts Brissac to this day. A lot. Described as wearing a green dress and having only gaping, black holes in place of her eyes and nose, countless guests – as well as the family that currently owns the château – are said to have seen her.
Florence
Most cities have their fare share of horror about them if you’re willing to look for it. That said, Florence makes this list for a few reasons: firstly, because the city is not exactly lacking in morbid tales, from restless spirits waiting for their love to return to disembodied stone heads to even, allegedly, the ghosts of Dante and Mussolini. Secondly, because of a certain obsession held by the city’s most famous resident, one Leonardo da Vinci, about life and death – in the former, deformities, dysmorphia and other things deemed to be ‘unnatural’, and in the latter – well, he just quite liked dissecting people. Thirdly, and finally, because we’re actually offering a completely free trip to the city to celebrate the release of Season 3 of NBC’s Hannibal (who was also quite fond of the place) on DVD and Blu-Ray. Find out more here: Competition now closed.
Castello di Poppi
The Castello di Poppi, located in Poppi, Tuscany, isn’t just a stunningly conserved example of medieval architecture. It’s also the final resting place of Matelda, a woman who was said to seduce local men and then murder them – via trapdoor onto razor-sharp blades, of all things – to cover up her affair from her powerful husband. Eventually, she did this so many times that the rest of Poppi decided that murdering everybody isn’t a hugely cool thing to do, and walled her up in the castle’s tower. Apparently, she can still be seen in the windows of the castle at night, dressed in white, as beautiful as she ever was. Just, you know, don’t say yes if she asks you out for a drink.
Ochate
And if a haunted castle isn’t enough for you, how about an entire village? Ochate, in Burgos, Spain, was abandoned after a series of mysterious epidemics in 1860, 1864 and 1870 which were, it seems, confined only to Ochate itself. Today, only a single, ruined church tower stands tall, though visitors to the remote village have reported everything from unsettled and distraught feelings, strange lights, UFOs, ghost sightings, disappearances and, uh, incidents of spontaneous combustion. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a medieval necropolis situated nearby, with tombs carved out of rock.
Do not go to Ochate.
The Palermo Catacombs
More catacombs – the dead spoil us. Located in Palermo in Sicily, these tombs – also open to the public – acted as a burial place from the late 16th century onwards, where residents of status – often mummified – would be laid to rest in their finest clothes. At last count, 8000 corpses and 1252 mummies populate the catacombs, ranging in quality of preservation from the unremarkable (think skeletons) to the full-on, I’m-never-coming-back-to-Italy-ever-again, absolutely relentlessly terrifying (think barely-decomposed mummies that look like they’re screaming). The Palermo Catacombs aren’t actually open at night (well, it’s technically a museum after all), which we note as being both moderately disappointing and a massive relief.
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