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Human remains found at Vatican property could crack 1983 mysteries

Rome police are investigating whether bones found on Monday are connected with the mysterious disappearances of two teenage girls.

Published: 31 October 2018 09:01 CET
Human remains found at Vatican property could crack 1983 mysteries
The Vatican City in Rome. Photo: anshar/Depositphotos

The human remains were discovered at a Rome property owned by the Vatican, the Holy See said Tuesday, in a potential breakthrough for police investigating one of Italy's darkest mysteries.

“During restoration works in a space annexed to the Apostolic Nunciature of Italy… fragments of human bone were found,” the Vatican said in a statement, in reference to the diplomatic office of the Holy See in Rome.

A police investigation is underway to establish the age and gender of the body and date of death. 

Media reports said the remains were discovered on Monday.

Detectives will be looking in particular at whether they are a DNA match for Emanuela Orlandi or Mirella Gregori, both of whom were underage when they went missing separately in Rome in 1983.

Orlandi was the daughter of a member of the Vatican's police, and was last seen on June 22, 1983 when leaving a music class.

Theories have circulated that the then 15-year-old was kidnapped by an organised crime gang to put pressure on Vatican officials to recover a loan.

A memorial held in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican to commemorate Emanuela Orlandi’s disappearance. Photo: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP

Another claim was that she was taken to force the release from prison of Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turk who attempted to assassinate Pope Jean Paul II in 1981.

Her brother Pietro has been leading a decades-long campaign to find out what happened to her and has accused the Vatican of silence and even complicity in the case.

The Vatican has said on several occasions that it has cooperated with Italian police over the case.

Gregori, another 15-year-old student, disappeared exactly 40 days before Orlandi.

Her mother says Gregori answered the intercom at the family apartment before telling her parents it was a school friend and she was going out to speak to him. She never returned.

The two girls did not know each other.

Investigators have not ruled out that the cases could be connected. 

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Six places to escape the crowds in Rome

From the Colosseum to the Vatican, Rome's best-known sites attract throngs of sightseers, particularly in the high season. Here are six of the Eternal City's best hidden attractions to escape the tourist crush.

Published: 29 May 2023 13:56 CEST
Six places to escape the crowds in Rome

The National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia

Perhaps because of its location – just north of Piazza del Popolo and Villa Borghese park, a little outside the city centre – or its subject matter (the pre-Roman Etruscan civilisation), Villa Giulia is one of the Italian capital’s most overlooked attractions.

That’s a shame, because many who do pay the museum a visit consider it a highlight of their Rome trip, combining a stroll through a Renaissance villa and grounds with the opportunity to check out one of the world’s largest collections of Etruscan artifacts.

READ ALSO: TRAVEL: Nine tips for making the most of a Rome city break

On some days the museum gets so few visitors that some report feeling like the only people there, and numbers tend to be low even on free museum Sundays – perfect for getting a break from the crowds on a busy day.

The Non-Catholic Cemetery

Often referred to simply (and incorrectly) as the ‘Protestant Cemetery’, Rome’s non-Catholic Cemetery on the edge of the Testaccio neighbourhood is a verdant haven away from the city’s chaos.

Amongst its graves are those of the English poets Keats (‘Here lies one whose name was writ in water’) and Shelley, as well as the Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci and Inspector Montalbano author Andrea Camilleri.

READ ALSO: Eight things you can do in Rome for free

Entrance is free, though visitors are asked to make a small donation of a few euros for the graveyard’s upkeep.

Across the street from the non-Catholic cemetery is the Rome war cemetery, which commemorates the soldiers who died liberating Rome during World War II; another peaceful oasis for rest and contemplation.

Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

Its gated entrance and position at the other end of a large courtyard behind an imposing building are probably what keep tourists away from the Basilica of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere; from the outside, you wouldn’t necessarily know this was a space open to the public.

Those who do venture within will find a 9th century church containing a statue of the brutally martyred Saint Cecilia, a Roman aristocrat who in the 3rd century was locked up for three days in a steaming caldarium and then (unsuccessfully) beheaded for trying to convert members of her family to Christianity.

READ ALSO: Six essential apps that make life in Rome easier for foreign residents

For a small donation, visitors can descend underground to view the real attraction: the 2,000-year-old Roman ruins and mosaics beneath the church that made up part of the saint’s house, as well as a spectacular crypt built in 1899 to house her tomb and those of her husband and brother, as well as two popes.

The Baths of Caracalla

Not far from the Colosseum and Circo Massimo chariot racetrack, the Terme di Caracalla is one of ancient Rome’s largest public bath complexes, and one of the most intact today.

As well as being off the beaten track, its vast size means any visitors are naturally spread out throughout the grounds. The only time you’ll find a crowd here is on summer evenings, when ballets, music concerts and operas are staged amongst the ruins.

If you get the chance, make sure to rent the VR goggles from the ticket office that reveal how the baths would have looked in their original splendour.

The Gardens of Saint Alessio

Visitors to Rome flock to the ‘Parco Savallo’ orange gardens on the Aventine hill for their romantic terrace with impressive views over the city and St. Peter’s basilica and the opportunity for a sunset photoshoot.

But the Giardini di Sant’Alessio, less than a hundred metres up the road, is where locals go. This little park also has orange trees and a nice view, but is far more peaceful – plus you’re allowed on the grass.

READ ALSO: Five ways to have the perfect romantic weekend in Rome

If you’re in the area, stop by the Sant’Anselmo Benedictine Abbey complex, where on Sunday evenings you can attend an evensong service and hear Gregorian chants sung by the monks who live there.

Rome’s Botanical Gardens

Situated at the foot of the Gianicolo (‘Janiculum’) hill in the Trastevere neighbourhood, Rome’s botanical gardens offer an oasis of calm in one of the city’s most crowded districts.

The plants themselves may not be anything spectacular and the grounds may be a little run-down, but if you want a quiet stroll to clear your head or a pause on a bench surrounded by palm trees, it’ll only set you back a few euros.

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