Florence Ghost & Crime Tour: Legends Murders with Tastings & Wine

Your journey into Florence’s haunted history begins in the iconic Piazza della Signoria. Your guide will be waiting for you beneath the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de’ Medici. As the shadows stretch across the stones, you’ll hear the chilling story of Girolamo Savonarola, the fanatic friar who once ruled the city with fire and fear. From the Bonfire of the Vanities, where books, art, and “sinful objects” were burned, to the very spot where he was hanged and burned alive, this square holds the memory of both his rise and gruesome fall. Even today, locals whisper that his spirit has never left. A powerful, eerie beginning to your ghostly tour.

Hidden behind Via dei Calzaiuoli lies the secluded Piazza Sant’Elisabetta, one of Florence’s most enigmatic corners. Here, in the swirling silence of early dawn, witnesses once claimed to see a shadow moving through the mist — a woman in black, barefoot, her eyes glowing faintly. Known as the Strega della Nebbia (the Witch of the Mist), she was believed to be a healer… or a summoner of spirits. Legends say she vanished after being accused of sorcery, leaving behind only a circle scorched into the stones. Locals avoided this place for centuries, believing her presence still lingers — especially when the fog returns.

Standing beneath the towering Cupola del Brunelleschi, you’ll uncover the hidden side of Florence’s most iconic landmark. More than an architectural miracle, the dome is believed to be a cosmic machine, rich in esoteric and alchemical symbolism. Built without scaffolding, guided by secret geometry and proportions tied to the divine, it has long been whispered that Brunelleschi was not only an architect — but an initiate of occult knowledge. Some say the dome’s eight ribs echo the path of spiritual rebirth; others believe it hides encrypted messages, sigils, and stellar alignments. As twilight deepens over Piazza del Duomo, you’ll never look at it the same way again.

In this narrow Florentine street once frequented by apothecaries, you’ll hear the chilling tale of Antonia da Castello, a young herbalist accused of witchcraft in 1481. She was said to prepare unguenti del Diavolo — devil’s ointments — potent salves whispered to allow flight, summon spirits, or steal the soul of a sleeping man. Arrested by the Inquisition, Antonia confessed under torture to nighttime rituals, strange visions, and speaking with shadows. But some say her knowledge was ancient, not evil — passed down from wise women before her. As we walk past the old prison walls, her fate becomes a haunting echo of Florence’s obsession with control, purity… and fear of feminine power.

In the shadowy courtyard of the Bargello — once Florence’s most feared prison and site of public executions — we summon the memory of Antonia la Nera, a woman arrested in the late 1400s for suspected sorcery. Described in trial records as "nera di volto e spirito", she was said to possess the ability to vanish into walls, speak with the dead, and curse those who wronged her. Her cell was located deep in the stone belly of the Bargello, where screams echoed and few ever returned. Accused of trafficking with demons and brewing elixirs from bone and ash, Antonia disappeared from the records after her third interrogation — no execution, no absolution, just silence. Some say she never died… only dissolved into shadow.