Lake Nemi

Rome · Italy · Natural site

On March evenings the wind carries the ring of a sword across Diana's mirror — the forest king still waits for the challenger who will kill him.

This crater lake in the Alban Hills was called Speculum Dianae, Diana's mirror, after the sanctuary on its shore. The priest there bore the title Rex Nemorensis, the king of the wood, and held office on one condition: he kept it until a runaway slave managed to break a bough from the sacred tree and kill him in single combat — whereupon the killer became the new king and waited for his own. Legend says he was never released from that watch. Fishermen at Nemi tell how the wind on March evenings carries a metallic ring of a blade across the water, and that a figure sometimes stands motionless in the reeds and does not answer when called. Beneath the surface lie the remains of Caligula's sunken ships.

FAQ

Where is Lake Nemi located?

Lake Nemi is in Rom, Italy.

More haunted places in Rom

• Ponte Sisto Rome · Bridge
• Campo de' Fiori Rome · Urban site
• Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo Rome · Church
• Ponte Sant'Angelo (Bridge of Angels) Rome · Bridge
• Ponte Fabricio (Bridge of the Four Heads) Rome · Bridge
• Doctor Tromba's House, Via del Governo Vecchio 57 Rome · Haunted house
• Villa Celimontana Rome · Natural site
• Pantheon Rome · Church

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.