Whispers from the Crypt: Italian Witchcraft and the Magic of the Dead

A Livestream Class with Dr. Angela Puca

Sunday, October 5 at 9:00 am in The Mystic Vault

In the winding catacombs of Naples, among piles of unnamed skulls, a quiet ritual tradition continues—one that reveals the deep and often overlooked heart of Italian witchcraft. This talk delves into the folk magical practices centered on the anime pezzentelle, the “little wretched souls” of Purgatory, whose presence is venerated in places like the Cimitero delle Fontanelle. Here, the living adopt anonymous skulls, name them, tend to them, and pray for their release in exchange for favors, dreams, protection, and intercession—a devotional pact with the dead that blurs the lines between magic, religion, and the underworld.

Rooted in Catholic cosmology and everyday survival, these traditions reveal an enchanted worldview in which relationships with the dead are not morbid but essential. The souls in Purgatory are not feared—they are neighbors, allies, and liminal figures dwelling between worlds. Such practices, still alive in parts of Southern Italy, speak to a magical ontology deeply entwined with the sacred economy of prayer, reciprocity, and hope for redemption.

Yet these traditions are virtually unknown—or radically misunderstood—in the English-speaking world. Popular representations of Italian witchcraft often replace these complex relationships with spirits with romantic fantasies or decontextualized modern Pagan inventions. In this talk, I challenge these distortions and reclaim the role of the dead in Italian witchcraft, offering a window into a world where the boundaries between life and afterlife are porous, and magic is a form of care extended across the veil.