In Italy, a series of burial grounds and tombs are getting a second life as a new restaurant, bar, or hotel.
Sigmund Freud believed the most uncanny things are those closest to us, including death or near-death experiences. The appeal of burial sites is the perverse fascination of being buried alive and placed back inside the metaphorical womb. These windowless and viewless sepulchral spots are proving alluring, and in Italy, a new underground fad is kicking off inspired by burial spots.
These days, people are paying for a “buried-alive thrill” such as sleeping, eating, and relaxing inside ancient grotto suites, prehistoric caves, and crypts transformed into boutique hotels. With their thick rugged stone walls reminiscent of graves, the following restaurants, cocktail bars, and spas are breathing new life into former burial sites.