Several videogames, set in some of Italy’s most famous places (Rome, Venice and Castel del Monte), have found inspiration in the vast historical heritage of the country. The many cultural sites with hidden symbols and esoteric and cabalistic references allow us to adopt the guise of tourist detectives and dive into a world where every truth is never definitive.
Print itineraryThe city where our investigative itinerary begins is Rome: what better place to introduce us to an atmosphere of esoterism? In Broken Sword: Angel of Death, George Stobbart takes us through a fictional Rome that is easily identified by architectural and urban elements. In an area that evokes the characteristic alleyways of Trastevere, cobbled streets and characteristic wooden shutters on the building are clearly on view. George stirs us onwards, on the trail of a treasure that belonged to Moses: we are forced to flee from disreputable individuals, counting on the help of his companion Nicole; our investigations then take us far from Rome to other cities in the world. This was just a small taste of the Eternal City, almost a little rest station on our itinerary before we embark upon much more complicated intrigues.
In two chapters of Shadow of the Vatican we are in the Roman neighbourhood (rione) of Regola with our guide, the American James Murphy, a former priest from Chicago. As him, we stay in an apartment near the Vatican: from a crossroads we can see the dome of St. Peters Basilica towering in the background. From the position on the map of the city offered in a vignette, we guess that we are close to Castel Sant’Angelo and we head towards the famous Piazza Farnese where we witness the terrible crime, prologue to the adventure, in the Church of St. Brigida. Drawn into this atmosphere in a blend of curiosity and fear for the fate of our poor friend, we focus our attention on every tiny detail which could always point to something else. In real life it is possible not only to visit the sacred building and admire its frescoed ceiling but also to return outside to the cobbles of the square and contemplate the imposing façade of Palazzo Farnese. We stop to admire the two fountains on the sides of the square, splendid granite basins from the Baths of Caracalla brought here in the 15th century. James’s investigation becomes more complicated as he researches economic ties that lead to the Vatican Bank. The next stop takes us north of the city to Capena, which can be reached by crossing the Marcigliana Nature Reserve. Once there, James walks into a faithful reproduction of the Church of St. Leo the Great: we see both the exterior and the interiors of the church which contains one of the few Byzantine iconostasis (the ancient structure that separated the altar from the faithful) left in Italy and a splendid fresco.
The second chapter of the game takes us back to Rome where we stop at the second most famous gateway to the Vatican City, Porta Sant’Anna. The adventure, with its dangerous financial secrets which link to the highest levels of the Vatican Bank, leads us to the final setting, a fictional secret crypt in Galleria Alberto Sordi: it is possible to visit the gallery situated in Piazza Colonna and browse the shop windows, the marble flooring, the glass and wrought iron of the ceiling.
How could we leave Rome without visiting one of the most famous places in the city? In Jonathan Danter: Belief and Betrayal the player is an English journalist and again involved in a tricky case: following the death of his uncle (a secret agent for the Vatican) Jonathan investigates the famous episode of the thirty coins received by Judas for his betrayal of Jesus and discovers a relic belonging to the Templars.
Immersed in the investigation, we stay inside Vatican City exploring two famous settings, Piazza San Pietro and the Vatican Museums. The representation of both places gives an excellent feeling of the welcome and majesty of the extended Bernini colonnade and the labyrinthine museum where it is possible to admire the production of the Raphael rooms, a true masterpiece of Italian art.
The last stop before leaving Rome is the Pantheon, or more precisely the tomb of King Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy inside: here is a key that opens a secret cloister. We stop to admire the imposing Roman building and we spy on the sky through the oculus above which lets in the light and then we leave Rome.
Our itinerary heads South to Castel del Monte (Andria) in Apulia, another Italian location that conserves intriguing mysteries, starting with the sovereign who lived there in 1200, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen. Enchanted by the stories about him (art patron, literary figure, statesman), the game explores the rooms of the medieval limestone and quartz castle making it impossible not to love the mathematical and astronomical languages hidden in its structure: the positions of the structural elements, based on calculations of solstice and equinox, were meticulously placed to create a symbolism that has been studied numerous times in history for its jaw-dropping brilliance.
Jonathan Danter’s last stop takes us North to Venice. Arriving at the evocative Santa Lucia station which juts into the lagoon, revealing the enchantment of the city, we head to the Bridge of Sighs and cross a large part of the island. Walking on from Piazza San Marco and the Palazzo Ducale, we are offered one of the two observation points to admire it, the Ponte della Paglia: the level of realism that the game presents immerses us in the city’s mysterious atmosphere.
We say goodbye to our journalist Jonathan and stay in Venice to be guided by Malachi Rector in the video game Moebius: Empire Rising and by a tourist investigator in Corto Maltese: Secrets of Venice. We first take on the character of Malachi, an expert antiquarian who has been given the task of investigating some strange murders. We try to orient ourselves on the map of the calli offered in the game and drink a coffee in Piazza San Marco, looking southeast: we admire the outline of the majestic Palladian Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, beyond the column with the city’s symbolic bronze lion, the lagoon in the background.
As the tourist, however, we are plunged into the universe of Hugo Pratt’s comics with his creation, Corto Maltese. Our character accompanies us on a very full itinerary around Venice, starting in the Sestriere of Cannareggio. Tackling enigmas and puzzles, a Corto Maltese’s comic will help us save the life of a barman from poisoning. The initial sequences depict the sestriere of Cannareggio at night: an authentic and theatrical labyrinth, we are drawn in by the ragged breathing of our character who moves fearfully through the island’s deserted calli. We continue along the 3D reconstruction of the Ponte di Rialto, its reflection pale in the waters of the Grand Canal. Heading off towards northwards again, past the ancient house of noted adventurer Marco Polo, our investigation takes us to the Cemetery of San Michele on the island of the same name, presented in the game with careful detail. We wander the thick labyrinth of funeral chapels and stones and discover other disturbing clues that take us back to the main island for a “literary” stop at the Libreria Acqua Alta. The game takes us through the reconstructions of various activities, we are impressed by the bathtub and gondola where volumes are stored and exhibited. Then we reach the last stop on our tour, the Porta dell’Arsenale on the Eastern point of the island which is the focus of an entire sequence in the game. We admire the Renaissance façade embellished with sculptures including the two majestic lions seized in the conquest of Athens by the Serenissima at the end of the 1600s.
The esoteric and cabalistic itinerary has taken us around the country in a world of symbols and references to ancient legends, unsolved puzzles and unexpected conspiracies that give an aura of mystery to some of Italy’s most famous monuments and evoke the most imaginative and hypothetical alternative pasts for her cultural and artistic heritage.
