Pentidattilo

The ghost town of Pentidattilo sits on the southern end of Calabria, at the edge of the Aspromonte Mountains. It was first settled back in the seventh century BC, and built underneath a big hand-shaped rock—the name derives from the Greek words penta and daktylos, or “five fingers.”

Many legends have been linked to this strange place, but one of the most famous is that of a 17th-century murder. The tale tells of two noble families: the Alberti family of Pentedattilo and the Abenavoli family from Montebello Ionico, a nearby town. Though the families were rivals, Baron Bernardino Abenavoli was in love with Antonietta Alberti. But when he learned that the young woman’s hand in marriage was promised to another nobleman, Baron Abenavoli was enraged.

He brought a group of armed men and killed every member of the Abenavoli household except for Antonietta, whom he took captive. Though he married her a few days after killing her family, the marriage was eventually annulled after the baron fled Italy. Antonietta lived out the rest of her life in a convent. Some say that you could see the bloody handprint of Lorenzo Alberti on a crumbling wall of the castle for many years after the massacre.

Today, there are very few remaining residents of Pentidattilo, but regular visitors to the ancient town.