Spooky Stories & Haunted Places in ASA Locations
Happy Halloween! Pick up a flashlight and gather around. Let’s hear some spooky stories and legends of hauntings and the paranormal from each of our study abroad destinations…
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires
Recoleta Cemetery, one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Buenos Aires, is the final resting place to 26 Argentine presidents and the famous First Lady, Eva Perón. It’s also home to Rufina Cambaceres, a socialite who “died” while getting ready to watch a show at Colón Theater. The year was 1902. She was 19-years-old. A horse-drawn carriage took her casket to the cemetery’s chapel where her body was left. It turns out it wasn’t a grave robber; she still had jewelry on when it was opened. The scratched lid and her bruised arms and legs revealed that she had been laid to rest while still alive. It turns out that she actually died in the casket of a heart attack from panic and lack of oxygen. In the cemetery, you can find a life-size statue of her with a tribute to “the girl who died twice”.
CHILE
Viña del Mar
If you want to explore a real haunted place in Chile, head north up the coast from Viña del Mar to the old mining town of La Noria in the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest desert – a harsh, desolate, uninhabitable environment. Here lies the crumbling remnants of a community lying in ruins under the intensely hot sun. The town once had a school, church, shops, and a few thousand residents, but working conditions in the mine were cruel and there are stories of workers and their children who faced horrible deaths. After a fire and economic hardship during WW1, La Noria was slowly abandoned. You can now walk through rows of dilapidated wooden crosses of the cemetery where coffins are exposed and remains can be spotted within. Human bones are scattered around. The legend says that the souls have been aggrieved by the disturbances of looters to their graves and are said to rise from the dead after sunset. It is possible to visit with extreme care and respects for the conditions of the desert. A guide is necessary due to its isolated and remote location.
COSTA RICA
San José
One of the most haunted places near San José (accessible by bus) is the Duran Sanatorium, an abandoned tuberculosis hospital that was built in 1915. As time went on, its purpose evolved: First into an asylum for patients suffering from mental illnesses, then as an orphanage, then as a maximum-security prison. Damaged in the 1970s by a volcano eruption, it was permanently closed and has slowly decayed over the years. Its graffiti-covered hallways with their peeled-paint walls are said to be haunted by an elderly nun and a little girl who was thought to be the daughter of the doctor who set up the hospital to treat her. There are stories from visitors of drained phone batteries, sudden cold spots, and sounds of laughter ringing through the empty space. It is now a protected building that is open to explore for a few dollars.
ENGLAND
London
If you have a penchant for the haunted, London has many places for you, but perhaps the most popular is the Tower of London with a history dating back to 1078. It holds the crown jewels…but also many tales of torture and executions. One of these executions was of Queen Anne Boleyn, arrested for treason in 1536. Look for her ghost holding her severed head near the White Tower where people have also claimed to spot the ghosts of two young princes who were murdered by an uncle and hidden inside the walls.
Newcastle
In Newcastle, it’s Newcastle Castle that gets our vote for its haunted past. Built in the year 1080, it has a long history, including extensive executions – as many as 18 in one day alone – with the bodies of the dead then displayed on the walls for the public to see. Much has happened within. One of the most common tales is about a girl who sold flowers, sometimes called “Poppy girl”. Legend has it that she owed people money and was locked away in the dungeon where she was murdered by prisoners. It’s said that you can still smell her flowers or spot her ghost near the dungeon. There are many stories of sightings of mist, cold spots appearing, shadows creeping across the walls, and footsteps echoing in the distance. Visit if you dare.
Oxford
The medieval Oxford Castle was a harsh privately-owned prison (for both adults and children) where inmates were charged for their board and executions also took place. It’s been said to be the most haunted place in the whole of the UK. Some sections date back to as far as 1020. It deteriorated during the years surrounding 1800, but after repairs, was reinvigorated as a prison until 1996. Mary Blandy was one of the executed who now haunts the hallways. She was accused of poisoning her father with arsenic. King Henry I’s daughter Empress Matilda’s ghost has been spotted wearing a white cloak. They are joined by the cloaked apparition of alcoholic monk, Brother Bernard, who once brewed beer in the crypt. Take a guided tour to hear more.
FRANCE
Aix-en-Provence
One of the places closest to Aix-en-Provence that’s known for its spooky tales is the isolated mountaintop fortress town of Gréoux-les-Bains in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence which has played a bloody role in the history of many different conflicts through the centuries. In the spotlight is the 13th-century castle, Château des Templiers, that sits at the summit. The surrounding neighborhood is said to be haunted after dark with many reports of eerie whispering voices and creepy shadows moving across the walls.
GREECE
Paros Island
One of the excursions that ASA Paros students are likely to take is to the nearby island of Crete. Here, you’ll find the Frangokastello on the south coast. During the 19th-century Greek War of Independence against the Turks, there was a bloody battle here. Locals claim that each year, on the anniversary of this battle when so many soldiers died, you can see their ghosts return in the form of shadows in the shape of humans that move along the beach and the castle walls. It lasts for about 10 minutes and only happens in the morning if the sea is calm. The ghosts of these Cretan soldiers are called Drosoulites. It is said that they haunt the castle because they never received a proper burial. There are also legends of local kidnappings and other paranormal activities.
IRELAND
Dublin
Up at the top of Montpelier Hill, you’ll spot a dark and intriguing ruin that began as a hunting lodge in the early 1700s, built by a wealthy man on top of an ancient burial ground. It’s been given the name the Dublin Hellfire Club. Soon after it was built, it lost its roof in a storm which locals attributed to the anger of those whose graves the building had disturbed. The members of the Hellfire Club, which met here, were famous for their debauchery, hedonism, and devil worship. There were rumors of animal (and even human) sacrifice. Legend has it that Satan himself paid the club a visit. Members playing cards with a homeless man whom they let inside one night noticed that he had hooves instead of feet. It is also said that, once abandoned, the club was patrolled by an aggressive black-horned cat which was later destroyed by a priest’s holy water sprinkled on its head.
ITALY
Florence
In the historic center of Florence is the Piazza Santissima Annunziata with its historic Palazzo Budini-Gattai. Look up to the second floor and spot the window to the far right. It will be open. It always is. The story goes that there is a ghost who waits endlessly for her husband to return from the war. She was a young bride clinging to his promises. She waited there for decades and the promise was not fulfilled before she finally died. That day, the window was closed. Legend has it that at that moment, there was a rumbling and chaos ensued; paintings shook from walls, books from shelves, furniture from its spot on the floor… and then the shutters opened again. The window has not been closed since.
Rome
If you’ve been to Rome, you’ve almost certainly been to the Colosseum, or at least have walked past it. It has a dark side. Very dark. With a history dating back to 72AD, its use for public executions and gladiator battles and hunting demonstrations, there are certainly many bloody stories to be told…so many that it’s said to be one of the world’s most haunted places. Sightings of ghosts are common, from that of a single soldier still protecting the structure after so many years to an entire stadium crowd in the stands. There have been light orbs and cool spots, human screams from inside the walls, and the moans of sacrificed animals in pain.
Sorrento
Whether it is haunted or not is up for debate, but one of the creepier places you can visit in Sorrento is Vallone Dei Mulini, the “Valley of the Mills.” This is an abandoned 10th century mill, built of stone, set deep inside a canyon. The last time it was used as a flour mill was around 1866 when the surrounding area became built up and its isolation from the sea made running the mill impractical. The production of flour was moved to pasta mills. Since 1940, it has been left to be devoured by nature. Plants thrive in the thick humidity that settles in the canyon and a view down the valley evokes visions of an apocalyptic world of the future.
NETHERLANDS
Maastricht
Half an hour's drive across the border from Maastricht into Belgium, you’ll arrive in Liège. Here lies the historical Hôtel de Ville. It is said that strange creatures can be felt lurking as a presence in the darkest shadows. This is attributed to an elderly vampire who was cursed to inhabit the building forever. Rumors fly of ghostly figures floating in the corridors, music softly playing from nowhere in particular, and screams in the walls. Visitors would enter the hotel and never again be seen, said to be given up in sacrifice by the vampire to appease the spirits of the lingering dead. Legend has it that a group of brave adventurers destroyed the vampire and released the innocent trapped souls, but the building forever holds stories of terror within its walls.
SCOTLAND
Aberdeen
In Aberdeen, there are several castles said to be haunted, but we’ll focus instead on one of the oldest pubs in the city: Ma Camerons. Until recently acquired by Belhaven Breweries, it had only seen four owners from the time it opened in the 1770s to the present day. In the oldest section, the snug near the entrance, the beer tap is often seen being turned on with no one nearby. There’s a tale of a painter who hears knocks coming through the ceiling from the empty, locked room above. When he responded with three knocks of his own, he got another three knocks in return and fled in fear from his work.
SPAIN
Barcelona
Nicknamed “The Castle of Hell”, Torre Salvana is just outside Colònia Güell on the outskirts of Barcelona and is said to be one of the most haunted places in Catalonia. It was built in the 10th century but damaged in the Catalan Civil War in 1224 and again damaged badly in a war in 1715 and later abandoned as it still is today. Paranormal activity has commonly been reported here: crying, voices, shots of a cannon, dark smoke wafting from the watchtower, feelings of someone grabbing a limb. Several people have said they were approached by the ghost of an old woman and others have seen two little girls strolling through the grounds.
Madrid
Amid Madrid’s extensive collection of 20th-century art—by Dalí, Picasso, and others—housed at the Museo Reina Sofía, there are reports of ghost sightings. Before it was a museum, the building was a hospital, and mummified remains were discovered by construction workers during renovations in the 1990s. The ghosts have been known to surprise the staff of the museum. They slam doors, run elevators that aren’t connected to electricity, and make noises. Many visitors have claimed to spot them wandering through exhibition rooms appreciating the paintings.
Seville
Just outside of Seville, there’s a quiet little village called Carmona. There, you’ll find “The Monastery of the Devil.” After about 20 years as a monastery, all of the monks were murdered one night. Except for one. He discovered the bodies of the others in the basement where he was said to have met the devil himself. Right after this, a fire burned the building to the ground. The spirits of the monks are said to be trapped within the ruins where people have seen apparitions and spheres of light and have heard whispers. You can take a guided tour at night to see for yourself.
If you’re not too spooked…find out more about studying abroad below: