The Cursed Gaiola Island, Naples - Italy 

 Gaiola Island is located just off the coast of Posillipo in Naples, Italy.
The island consists of two stunning and serene islets.

The picturesque island looks like paradise, with its emerald waters, rocky shores, and a tranquil atmosphere.

However, beneath the beauty, lurks a dark past of death and misfortune.

Dating as far back to ancient Roman times, Gaiola Island was once a favoured getaway for the wealthy.

Today, this idyllic Mediterranean retreat remains abandoned.
Its buildings are crumbling, and its sun kissed cobbled streets are in ruin.

No one dares to live here anymore.
The grim tales that have been told of suicide, murder, illness and financial ruin that have dogged previous owners, prove that no one is safe here.

Fear rules....

 One of the most famous legends surrounding Gaiola Island, is the tragic story of a young couple who once lived in the villa there.

With the untimely death of the husband, his widow was later driven into a frenzied madness.

It’s rumoured that her ghost still wanders the island, mourning her lost love.

Throughout history, a series of owners have met with unusual and often tragic fates.

The first owner, El Mago or 'The Wizard' lived a solitary life on the island.
One day, he simply disappeared.

The owner who built the villa which still stands today, was financially ruined.

In the 1920’s the roll-call of doom really began.
Owner Hans Braun was murdered.
Not long after his death, his widow drowned in the sea, just off the island.

The next owner, Otto Grunback, suffered a fatal heart-attack while on vacation there.

The owner after Grunback, committed suicide in a Swiss mental hospital.

 In the spring of 1911, sea Captain Gaspar Albenga was piloting his boat around Gaiola, pondering the idea of buying the island.

He never returned, and no trace of him, or his boat, has ever been found.

These stories and other similar ones, led to the belief that Gaiola Island was cursed.

Beneath the clear waters of the island, lies remnants of ancient trees that mysteriously turned to stone.
This is known as the 'petrified forest'.

These remains are still very visible even from the shoreline.
Locals attribute the geological phenomenon to the island’s curse.

Gaiola is full of ruins from the Roman era.

Up until the nineteenth century a submerged Roman building, called the School of Virgil, was clearly visible in the waters near the island.

It was believed that this was the place where Virgil taught the mystical arts.

One theory is that the potions created here by Virgil and his pupils, have permanently polluted the water.

This is the reason the curse affects those who linger here too long......