Vicolo delle Grotte

Rome · Italy · Alley

Every night Cagliostro calls for the wife who denounced him — and a shawled woman vanishes down the alley with a single scream.

Behind Piazza Farnese runs the alley where the adventurer and alchemist Giuseppe Balsamo, known as Count Cagliostro, lived with his young wife Lorenza Feliciani. In 1789 she went to the Holy Office and denounced him; he was arrested in Rome, sentenced to life and died in the fortress of San Leo in 1795 without ever seeing her again. Legend has the alley replay the night of the denunciation over and over: a man's voice calls her name between the housefronts, and a female figure with a shawl over her head hurries away and dissolves in a single scream in which the count's name can be heard. Residents say the sound comes from inside the walls, and that dogs refuse to enter the alley after dark.

FAQ

Where is Vicolo delle Grotte located?

Vicolo delle Grotte is in Rom, Italy.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.