Gaiola… a romantic name for two islands connected by a natural thin bridge, as if two lovers holding out their hands to each other. However, the story of Gaiola, although romantic, is not as beautiful as it seems at first glance. However, lovers are present in it, and far from alone.
Casting a glance at Gaiola, you will probably think about whether to spend a vacation there: a luxurious villa on your own island, the azure seashore, white sand, solitude, and at the same time, the city is within easy reach. No crowds of locals or scurrying tourists. Why not an ideal place to relax? However, Gaiola proves once again how deceptive appearances can be.
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Where is
Located in the Gulf of Naples, Gaiola is close enough to the coast that allows locals and tourists to swim to it in a few minutes. Previously, the richest Romans settled in this area, and the island itself was part of the mainland, but over time, as a result of the movement of tectonic plates, the island broke away and turned into Gaiola in the form in which it exists to this day. The island was named Gaiola because of the presence of small caves, whose name in Latin sounds like Caviola.
Story
Gaiola consists of two small islands connected by an arched bridge. One island is completely uninhabited, while on the second there is a luxurious villa built in the early 19th century. However, before that, the island managed to be a place where Italians came to pray alone. Time passed, and the nineteenth century came, and with it a hermit who called himself the Wizard came to the island.
He lived on the island for a long time, hiding from the rain in caves, growing primitive fruit-bearing plants and surviving thanks to the mercy of the sailors, who supplied the Wizard with all kinds of food. How long the Wizard lived on Gaiol – history is silent, but after a while the island was empty again, but the locals have not yet seen a bad omen in the disappearance of the wizard.
A place kissed by darkness
Italians are extremely superstitious people. Even despite the fact that they are deservedly called hot and passionate all over the world, they are very wary of places that are said to be kissed by darkness. Stories about evil spirits from the past and bloodthirsty curses frighten them so much that the inhabitants of Italy are ready to take the tenth road around places famous for their mystical aura.
Once upon a time, Gaiola was considered a beautiful island in the Gulf of Naples, but if today the locals are asked something about it, then hardly anyone wants to not only spend, but also talk about the island. In the county, he is considered cursed. And for good reason: the mystical events that have taken place on the island for centuries have left their mark.
Myths and legends
Gaiola is beautiful, but her beauty is deceiving. And a terrible mystical story began with the first owner. A certain Lord, whose name history has not preserved, a few years after the Wizard, acquired the island and built a villa on it. The most beautiful building in a picturesque place – that's what Gaiola looked like then. However, this certain Lord lived on the island for a very short time and soon died. From what?
Apparently, from a heart attack – so the locals thought. And how it was in reality – who knows? However, the sudden death of the former owner did not deter the wealthy Hans Braun, who acquired the island along with the villa shortly after the death of the former owner.
Hans Braun was obscenely rich and terribly happy: he married a beautiful young girl and now the newly-made family was going to start their story on a beautiful Italian island. One day, a young Mrs. went to town on business, leaving her husband to spend the day alone. However, when she returned from the mainland, the lady did not see her husband: he did not meet her at the entrance to the villa, in addition, there was an ominous silence on the whole island. The young woman went in search of her husband, but found only his stiff corpse wrapped in a bedside rug.
Heartbroken, Mrs. Brown walked for several days as if lowered into the water, and a week later the girl's body was fished out of the bay. Whether she chose this path for herself, or whether the island simply got rid of an unwanted guest – now no one will know.
The sad story that happened on the island quickly spread throughout the district. The Italians felt sorry for the young family whose happiness ended so quickly. However, the villa was not empty for a long time – a few months later it was acquired by a notorious atheist and skeptic, a native German, Otto Grunback.
Hearing about the tragic story that happened on Gaiol, and also that the spirits of restless souls now roam the skeleton, Mr. Grunbuck only laughed. And his laughter still echoed in the mountains when Otto Grunback himself died of a heart attack. Was it just a coincidence, or did Gaiola again not want to accept a new resident?
One way or another, she did not have to be empty for a long time. Maurice Sandoz, who lives in Switzerland, thought it would be a good idea to buy a house on the Italian coast so that he could travel to the sunny country during his summer holidays. Having traveled along the coast of Italy, he opted for Gaiola and happily acquired the island. However, he never managed to use the summer holiday home: some time after the purchase of Sandoz, the fate of the previous owners of Gaiola overtook him: for unknown reasons, he committed suicide, which shocked his relatives a lot and only confirmed the fears of the residents of the coastal zone about the curse hanging over the villa.
For some time the villa was empty until it was noticed by a businessman who resells similar plots. His business was going well, and he decided to invest in such a profitable, in his opinion, a place that certainly would not burn out. However, over time, the businessman's business went down sharply: his relatives were rapidly dying one after another, he lost his fortune in one day, and the only thing he had enough money for was to get to the villa on Gaiola Island and shoot himself in the temple in its lobby.
At one time, Gaiola belonged to Fiat owner Gianni Agnelli, but even considering that he had never been there, Agnelli still paid for the acquisition: his son soon hanged himself, and his beloved nephew died of a rare form of cancer. Heartbroken, he sold the island. Since then, the villa has been abandoned and belongs to the Italian district of Campania.
The mysterious story attracts many tourists, but the locals refuse to show the way to the villa and only for a good price can wave their hand in its direction. Gaiola – two islands connected by a bridge. Who are they? Lovers reaching out towards each other? Or life and death, connected by a thin line?
Another interesting place: Furore is a non-existent village in Italy.