Gaiola Island

Neapel · Italy · Natural site

The island is called jellata, the jinxed one. Legend says a disciple of Virgil the magician cursed the rock for good.

Two small rock islets off Posillipo, joined by a narrow bridge, with an abandoned villa on one of them. Tradition places Virgil's school of magic on the shore opposite and holds that one of his disciples laid a permanent curse on the rock. In the 1600s a hermit lived here whom the neighbours called il Mago, the sorcerer, and who was thought to draw misfortune onto everyone he met. Through the twentieth century one owner after another was ruined, and Naples settled the matter in a single word: l'isola jellata, the jinxed island. The villa stands empty behind closed shutters inside a marine reserve, fishermen avoid mooring there after dark, and the curious who swim across say they hear voices from inside the empty house.

FAQ

Where is Gaiola Island located?

Gaiola Island is in Neapel, Italy.

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