“It is a curious place — the wood in Villa Doria. I made my first acquaintance with poltergeists there.”
-Roma Lister
Although — in later life — Roma Lister was described by some as having an “easy familiarity with ghosts”, her earliest experiences with the Unseen were anything but agreeable. During her youth, Lister often spent her summers at Villa Doria, an archaeologically-significant estate in the Alban Hills whose property included the ruins of palatial buildings constructed by the Roman statesmen Pompey and Domitian.
Ghosts reportedly haunted Doria’s sprawling and wooded gardens, but one spirit in particular — the restless soul of a woman who had committed suicide in the recent past — had a tendency to appear during full moons. Tales of these manifestations intrigued Lister and her friends, and one night they summoned up the courage to investigate.
Below, I’ve included a retelling of the adventure, which was published in May 1926 by the now-defunct Western Mail, an Australian newspaper.
For more on Lister and my book, Aradia’s Hidden Hand, watch this space!
Keep an eye as well on hexen.fr for news on the book’s release.