I know this ain't in Italian, but with this being the Italian section, and this article being about a place in Italy. I thought this would be a good place to put it.

The Palazzo Albrizzi stands majestically in a quite corner of the city with it's own cobbled square and it's crumbling facade. It was bought by the Albrizzi family in the 17th century and is still owned by the family today. Wealthy socialite Lady Carol Bamford arranged to hire the palace for 10 nights to entertain a group of friends in the early 1990's. It was september and they were due to celebrate the birthday of Hugo Guinness, a friend of her daughter Alice. Actress Joan Collins was also part of the party and was accompanied by Robin Hurlston.

The group were to be looked after by Lady Bamford's housekeeper Karen Keeling and chauffeur Sean Mullin who had flown over from England a day early to prepare the Palazzo for the holiday. They had hired a freelance butler, Gastone Burigama and an Italian cook who had worked at the Palazzo on and off for many years.

The holiday was set to be a great success but it wasn't long before the paranormal forces inside the Palazzo started to make their presence felt. Upon arrival, Venice was extremely hot-being september this was usual-but inside the building the guests commented that it was strangely dark and cold. During dinner Joan Collins experienced the srange sensation of a deathly cold chill around her legs, describing it was like someone blowing on her ankles but the party could find no explanation for the occurrence.
Later the entire party endured a troubled night, complaning of haunted dreams and nightmares. The atmosphere seemed to lift with the light of day and they left the palace to explore the city, leaving the staff behind to prepare for the rest of the holiday. The cook was the next to winess the power of the paranormal forces at work in the palace, with the appearance of a large black moth in the kitchen. Traditionally the moth is only seen when a spirit is manifest in the building and, traumatised by the sight, she ran quickly to the housekeeper to express her superstitious fear that a ghost was abroad.
But her experience came too late, for Sean had already witnessed an encounter with the unknown in the dinning room that had deeply troubled him. Normally a down to earth and stalwart man, he was visibly shaken by what had happened. Walking into the grand dinning room he had come face to face with a woman dressed in a stately gown, she had looked at him, before walking straight through a wall! Not believing his eyes, he quickly fled the chamber to find Karen, who was already hearing a tale of the palace's past from the cook.

Four hundred years earlier a beautiful Contessa had lived at the Palazzo with her husband whom she loved dearly but with whom she could not conceive. In a desperate attempt to have a child she took a lover in secret but was discovered by her husband in their bedchamber-now the dinning room. In a moment of jealous rage he lashed out, decapitating her instantly, and throwing out a deep psychic imprint into the very walls of that room.
The story goes that ever since that terrible night her unquite spirirt has haunted the Palazzo, seeking revenge on the living for her unfair demise.

Later that day the party returned to the palace after they had enjoyed dinner at the famous Harry's Bar, near St Mark's Square, and has splashed out on expensive dishes to celebrate Hugo's birthday. The atmosphere was jovial and happy but as they crossed the canal to the piazza the mood changed. A thunderstorm soon broke which turned out to be the worst on record for many years, plunging the Palazzo into darkness.
Lit only by candlelight the group entered the Palazzo Albrizzi for their second night and were told the tale of the Contessa by Karen. Despite the spooky surroundings, Lady Bamford assured Karen and Sean that they would be fine and told them that they could leave the palace to return to their hotel for the night. When they reached the entrance hall they were met by a strange motionless shadowy figure which seemed to fade away as they approached it and return as they backed off. Thinking this must be a trick of the candlelight, they called the rest of the party to witness the effect, hoping that it would show that there were no ghosts, and no reason to be scared, but this momentary amusement was short lived as Sean entered the dinning room and became transfixed by the painting of the Contessa which hung over the fire place.
Seconds later he was on the floor, a tremendous crushing pressure forcing him to the groung. Hugo and Alice ran to help him and dragged him crying from the room, leaving Karen looking at the painting. Next it was she who was affected, transfixed by the eyes of the woman in the painting, she too was forced to her knees before being taken out of the chamber. By now the guests and staff were fearful of remaining inside the building for the night and Lady Bamford made the decision that they should all leave immediately. After collecting what they needed for the night the group met in the entrance hall but Hugo and Robin were missing, they had gone to the kitchen to collect some food but had been met by three large knives in the wall, quivering as if they had just been thrown!

After only two nights the holiday was over. As the storm died away and night became morning the group returned to the palace to pack and leave the building for good. Upon return the cook told Karen that this was not the first time that ghosts had driven out guests, 10 years earlier a man had awoken at 3am to find himself praying in front of the painting of the Contessa, he had been so frightened that he left without warning and vowed never to return. The cook then made an unusual request that each member of the party should return to the dinning room and apologise to the Contessa for upsetting her by eating in her former bedroom, which they duly did, before leaving. When asked if she would return to the palace, Joan Collins is on record as saying that she would never return. The Palazzo stands to this day in a hidden corner of venice waiting for it's next guests, and is available foe weekly hire to any brave enough to sleep there.

So there it is, not such a magical place after all. A lot of people always say that Venice is one of the best places to go visit, and don't get me wrong i believe them. Just seems there's a much darker side, there was loads more articles.....but too much typing for my liking! Venice may be known for it's romantic gondolas and dramatic masked balls, but there's something a bit more spooky lurking in the depths of it's waters.......would anyone here like to stay in that palace?

[COLOR=ROYALBLUE]Always and forever....live life with respect, and love everyone.[/color]

Where did you read this?? I was reading something pretty much the same to this, in one of those stupid mag's you pick up and read when your in the hospital. I think it was called "predizione" i guess it was interesting.

Sure!!, i'd love to stay in a place like that, why don't you send me the information and details?? Hmmm make a nice holiday, fancy joining me??

Ok so now you got me looking at article's and such. Here's some tales i've found.

This is fron the 16th century. Ponte dei squartai, now a picturesque corner of the city, was once the site of a gruesome exhibit. Our story begins at a former inn near St Mark's Square where a wicked innkeeper called Biaggio was famous for his delicious cuisine, in particular his sausage stew, which acquired a reputation for excellent flavour throughout the city. Merchants and traders who docked at San Marco would often be found sampling the wonderful dish and many city dwellers frequented the inn on a regular basis.
The jolly innkeeper was the talk of the town as meat was scarce in those times but he never seemed to skimp on his delicious fillings. One day a regular called Antonio was enjoying a portion of the stew when he came across something he couldn't quite digest, when he took it out of his mouth he was disgusted to find that it was a small finger.
Hiding the finger in a cloth, he went straight to the authorities who immediately arrested the innkeeper and searched his establishment. Beneath a trap door they found a terrible treasure of fresh meat-the dismembered bodies of several Venetian children. Biaggio was sentenced to death and decapitated shortly afterwards and his body was cut into four quarters, each subsequently skewered on a pole and displayed for all to see in four different corners of the city, one at Ponte Dei Squartai.

At the center of the city on the Grand Canal near to St Mark's Square lies a deserted palace-Palazzo Dario, known locally as Ca Dario. Built in the 15th century by a wealthy ambassador for the east, it is an eclectic mix of architectural styles from all over the world but what should should be a popular piece of venetian realty has lain empty for years, due to a poweful hex that bewitches all who possess it.
Over the centuries the house has been the scene of tragedy, torment and death, so much so that it is commonly referred to as "the house that kills".
Currently owned by the Gardini family, the palace is on the market and available to anyone who dares to test the curse that is said to affect only those who own the building. Some believe that the devil himself resides within it's walls.
The curse of Ca Dario began soon after it was built by Giovanni Dario in the 15th century and the hex has claimed the lives of the last 13 successive owners. Murder, death under strange circumstances and bankruptcy have all played their part in the legacy of the palace. In the 17th century two owners from the Barbarro family met their end within it's walls, each murdered in cold blood. Later in the 18th century the palace was the home of historian Rawdon Brown who committed suicide and later still a famous art collector lost his life at the hands of a murderer. During the 1950's American businessman Charles Briggs killed himself after a scandal in his personal life. Even more recently an Italian Count was bludgeoned to death by a candlestick inside the palace. Within living memory the house brought misfortune on Kit Lambert, former manager of UK group "The who". After taking up residence in the building he died under mysterious circumstances aged 45 and Rul Gardini, Itaian businessman and last owner of the palace shot hinself dead.

In recent years the palace's reputation as a cursed place has grown stronger and even prospective owners seem to have been affected by it's power. Mario Del Monaco, the famous tenor, was said to have been interested in purchasing the palace but decided against it after he was involved in a serious accident immediately after visiting the building. Film director Woody Allen was also said to be considering buying the property, until his wife heard about the supernatural reputationof the palace and they withdrew their interest. In late 2004 paranormal investigator and psychic Uri Geller managed to gain access to the palace but fled in fear declaring that the place had a menacing sense of evil, he was convinced that a demonic force was trapped within the house, possibly due to the misplaced collection of eastern antiquities which had been incorporated into it's structure. To date the palazzo Dario is still for sale.

Conosco bene la storia di Palazzo Albrizzi, e vivendo a Venezia ho visto il Palazzo più volte.
Terribile, no?
L'Italia è piena di vecchi castelli e palazzi, con storie e passati davvero macabri.

voi gradite ripartire la storia sapete? Sono curioso a questo proposito, pensando ad andare là....

Ciao, larissa

Sulla storia del Palazzo non ho niente da aggiungere.
Ma penso che faresti bene a visitare Venezia: è una città assolutamente splendida, per un turista, unica al mondo!
Se mai avessi intenzione di venire qui, fammi sapere... possiamo incontrarci da qualche parte e posso portarti a fare un giro per la città.

Non sono stato a Venezia prima, ma molto gradirebbe a! Eventualmente, Andrò di nuovo all'Italia questo anno con la mia madre. Se tutto va bene, forse potremmo venire a contatto e girare intorno insieme alla città!!

Ciao!

Il mio nome e MyLife io vivo a Sienaaaaaaaaaa.
Come va? Sto bene!!!

Stai attento!!