Tales of Enchantment #02: A Parallel Paranormal Encounter with Julius Caesar

Welcome to another installment of Tales of Enchantment—a blog series from Chip Sullivan and Elizabeth Boults, authors of Wisdom of Place: A Guide to Recovering the Sacred Origins of Landscape.

The landscape is an endless source of wonder for us. No doubt for you too! We are excited to continue sharing our stories of enchantment in this space and invite you to also share your tales of marvels with us in the comments. We’d love to hear where you find magic around you!

Tales of Enchantment #02 - A Parallel Paranormal Encounter with Julius Caesar

For many years we organized and directed summer programs abroad for our students to travel and visit Italy. On one particular trip to Rome, we stayed at the Hotel Smeraldo in Vicolo dei Chiodaroli, right in the historic center and very close to the famous Campo dei Fiori. Together with our students we explored the centro, enjoyed an aperitivo, and later retired to our rooms for the night.

A Visit from Caesar / By Elizabeth Boults

Sometime after midnight Chip woke up screaming, believing he had seen a head floating in the dark corner of the room. Almost immediately Elizabeth woke up shaking, explaining that she had a vision of a head hovering in the shadows by the doorway. Seeing an apparition is frightening enough, but that we both experienced the same vision simultaneously was even more terrifying! What did it mean?

The next morning at breakfast we related the story to the students. The room got quiet, and a few frightened voices whispered that they too heard strange sounds and movements at about the same time of the night.

Revisiting Rome this past summer, nearly 20 years after our encounter with the floating head, we were walking around our favorite historic neighborhood and spied a storefront with patrons spilling out onto the street. We decided to see what the fuss was all about. The enticing aromas from a wood-fired oven brought us to a gleaming bakery packed with delicious treats. We had discovered the fabulous Antico Forno Roscioli! We succumbed to temptation; who could turn down a slice of pizza margherita even if it was only 10:30am?

We were lucky to grab a couple seats at a table outside, and looked around to take note of the location since we definitely planned to be repeat customers. We were at the intersection of Via dei Chiavari and Vicolo dei Chiodaroli. After relaxing there for a while, we began to get a sense of familiarity with the space—déjà vu if you will. Directly across the street from where we were sitting was a sign for Hotel Smeraldo! We ducked into the lobby; the place had been totally remodeled since our first visit. The entrance shifted to a different side of the building, but it was the same hotel. 

With our curiosity peaked, we investigated the history of the neighborhood and read that the Hotel Smeraldo was located precisely at the site of the ancient Teatro di Pompeo, along the south side of the quadriporticus that once framed the garden—the site where Julius Ceasar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BCE.

The land holds memories of sorrow and joy. Sites embody energies of the past, present, and future. How have you encountered a presence-of-place? Share with us in the comments!

With love, magic, and much appreciation—

Chip Sullivan & Elizabeth Boults

Photo by Amanda Goldsmith