Occhi del Diavolo

Turin, Italy, was once known as Europe’s occult capital. Sure enough, rumors about Freemasons, alchemists, ghosts, the devil, and such continue to hover over this charming city of mysteries.

Not far from the more famous Portone del Diavolo (Devil’s Door), on Via Lascaris is a series of drain-like slits nicknamed Occhi del Diavolo, or “the Eyes of the Devil.” They surround the entire perimeter of a building that stands there, always in pairs, as if to form some sort of protective magic circle, silently watching the neighborhood.

While the “eyes” seldom fail to attract conspiracy theorists and enthusiasts of esotericism, they are more likely to have been something practical, perhaps for ventilation or to provide sunlight for the rooms beneath.