October, ghost story, Venice, Italy, si grazie....

Image from wikimedia.org-
Campiello del Remer

I love October because that means Halloween, yeah, yeah!! 

So quickest ghost story ever.  

If you are planning a visit to Venice and want to see a tormented, guilt-filled, wife-murdering ghost man wandering aimlessly through a tiny Venetian square carrying the head and torso of his dead wife, set your GPS to 45°26'6"N   12°19'37"E.

Here is the deal.  In 1598, the Doge Marino Grimani (Doge is Italian for an elected chief of state for various city/states during the medieval times and the Renaissance) was walking with his men in the Rialto area (Venice) when he heard the screams of a woman.  Later discovering the source of the screaming was his niece, Elena, who was trying to escape from her husband, Fosco Loredan.  

Image from wikimedia.org-
Doge Marino Grimani

He was accusing Elena of infidelity and became so violent he ended up decapitating her.  Grimani was overcome by grief at witnessing such a horror.  






Grimani and his men ordered Fosco to collect his wife's head and go to Rome for the Pope to decide his punishment for the crime.  

wikimedia.org-Grande Canal

In shock, the Pope sent Fosco back to Venice without uttering a word.  


Fosco began to fall apart because of the guilt he felt over his actions and ended up taking his wife's head and body and drowning himself in the Grande Canal in front of the Campiello del Remer, a small workshop.  

Apparently, Fosco appears on nights with full moons and on the anniversary of his death walking earth with his beloved decapitated wife in his arms.