Embrace all that is spooky this Friday the 13th with a look at some of the eeriest places in the world. Peter Greenberg’s latest book, The Best Places for Everything, available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound and your local bookstore, tackles all things haunting and haunted. From a Chapel of Bones to ghosts and graves keep reading to see just a few of Peter’s favorite things that go bump in the night. Remember to check back every Friday for a different look at some of Peter’s best places.
1. Capuchin Catacombs, Palermo
Beneath the Capuchin monastery in Palermo, Italy, is the Capuchin Catacombs, where thousands of centuries-old corpses have been placed upright in nooks, hung up on the walls or set in chairs for public display. Talk about creepy: Some of the corpses still have their lips, hair and eyelids intact.
2. Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
If you have to pick one haunted hotel for a bone-chilling experience, it’s the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park Colorado. This hotel is so spooky it’s believed to have inspired Steven King’s The Shining. It’s named for Freelan O. Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile, and legend has it his ghost his visited the billiard room and bar; guests frequently complain about children in the hallways at night…even when none are checked in.
3. Gold Rush Ghost Town, Bodie, California
Image Credit: Wikimedia User Daniel Mayer
Bodie, California was a thriving California mining town during the gold rush of the late 1800s. Nowadays it has a population of zero but is a state historic park where more than 100 of the original structures are still standing in what officials call a state of arrested decay. There are no facilities near Bodie, so stock up before you go.
4. Capela dos Ossos, Evora, Portugal
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Nsandre
The aptly named Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Evore, Portugal, is a 2-hour bus ride from Lisbon. Inside the chapel of the Church of St. Francis, the bones and skulls of more than 5,000 people cover the walls, arches, and ceiling beams. Consider staying overnight (if you dare) to fully explore the city, which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site for its Roman, Gothic and Baroque architecture.
How are you spending Friday the 13th? Share all your spooky suggestions.
By Peter Greenberg, excerpted from The Best Places for Everything (Rodale)
