Florence may be a top tourist destinations for visitors from all over the world, but it has its fair share of creepy secrets. Street names in particular can be pretty telling of a city’s history, so why, then, is Florence home to so many creepy street names? Close to via Parione, there’s via del Purgatorio, or Purgatory, which is found just across from via dell’Inferno, or Hell. And nearby: piazza del Limbo. What’s their story? Did Dante influence these street names, or was it he who was inspired to use them in his famous books?
The answers are out there, however: surprisingly, the street names have nothing to do with Dante nor with religion! All the streets around these via Parione are named after restaurants that were there in the Middle Ages, and these names were actually chosen by restaurants to tempt customers with succulent foods and poisonous wines. This was seemingly part of a medieval Florentine tradition to give the wickedest names - like Beppe Suicidio or il Troia (The Whore) - to the best restaurants as a way to imply the sinfully good quality of the food.
