Forbidden island off Italian coast lures tourists with dark and lustful history
A FORBIDDEN island that has seen “lavish sex parties” and even a brutal murder following a threesome gone wrong continues to lure visitors to its shores.
Zannone – a picturesque spot off Italy’s west coast – boats beautiful views, impossibly blue water and stunning cliffs.
But there is darkness lurking below the natural beauty.
The isle was where Marquis Casati Stampa had a vacation retreat. And it was no secret what went on on the island.
“That’s where the Marquis Casati Stampa held lavish sex parties,” retired fisherman and current tour guide Giorgio Aniello told CNN.
“He was a lewd man, a voyeur who liked to watch and photograph his starlet wife get kinky having sex with other younger guys.
“Then one day he got fed up of the threesome, shot the two lovers and killed himself.”
The brutal killings reference by Aniello were those of actress Anna Fallarino and her rumored lover.
According to CNN, Anna fell for one of her lovers, sending Marquis into a rage. He killed them both before shooting himself in the head.
Details of the love triangle were published in the Italian press at the time.
Now, decades removed from when it was a hot-spot for revelry, the island is largely forbidden.
It was claimed by the state in the wake of the tragic bloodshed and now tourists can visit during the day, however, they do not stay overnight.
Researchers and scientists sometimes stay in tents on the island – a far cry from the nightlife it was once home to.
Tour guide Riccardo Peci said time has not eroded the memory of what went on at Zannone for many.
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“We all knew what was happening there,” he told CNN.
“It was dubbed the ‘sex parties isle,’ but nobody ever uttered a word about it back then.
“It’s what we call a Pulcinella’s secret.”