If you are ever in Palermo, Italy you MUST visit the Capuchin Catacombs. There are 8,000+ bodies here that guests can view in person. Guests are often quite shaken up over this very moving exhibit. While visiting the 8,000 bodies, there is one that you have to visit. Her name is Rosalia Lombardo and she has been nicknamed Sleeping Beauty. She is so well-preserved that she almost looks alive. The spooky part about her though is that she blinks! Yes, you read that right. Sleeping Beauty actually blinks.
Rosalia was 2 years old when she passed away from pneumonia. After her death, she was embalmed by Alfredo Salafia, who was a mortician who was so skilled at what he did, that a lot of the bodies he did have to embalm look better than if they were done today.
They recently put Rosalia in an MRI machine, and all of her organs are still intact, which makes historians believe that she was mummified using the same methods Egyptians used centuries ago. And this mummified girl is now on display for guests to see while visiting these catacombs.
Rosalia may have been deceased for almost 100 years, but there have been many pictures and videos showing her opening and closing her eyes, letting guests see her undamaged blue eyes. How creepy!
There are many rumors as to why her eyes blink. Some believe it’s her restless spirit while others thing it has to do with the humidity changing in the catacombs. Whatever theory you do believe, this is a pretty incredible and eery display that you must see in person!
Watch the video below to see Sleeping Beauty open her eyes with a time-lapsed video.
This would definitely be something that you would want to see if you were ever in Palermo, Italy. You never know how long something like this will last, so take advantage if given the opportunity. I would love to see something like this in person, even if it felt a little eerie being there.