When Something Goes "Clomp" in the Night

We've just returned from our whirlwind trip to Italy and I finally have a chance to pass on a story or two from our visit.

Two of the hotels we stayed at in Tuscany were former Convents that had been converted into 5 star hotels. The first place had beautiful courtyards, gardens and lavish suites. Each window opened up to a view of the vineyards below and the sound of birds.

Our first night, we enjoyed a fabulous meal in the candelit courtyard and after several bottles of local Chianti - shared between the whole group, not just us - we headed off to bed.

Now I'm a picky pillow person. I can't sleep on just anything. I've often been teased about being the whole Princess and the Pea thingy, but the truth is I have a bad neck from some unthinking redneck in the Praries who side-swiped me when I was 16. My pillows have to be medium soft feather in order for me to sleep. None of those bumpy balled up cotton creations that try to pass themselves off as pillows. Anyway, my pillow was huge and hard and I tossed and turned all night on that thing with my head at a 90 degree angle.

At about 3am I heard a heavy clomping sound that sounded like someone walking slowly above us wearing wooden shoes on a hard wood floor and then opening a very creaky door. It spooked me a little because the steps were so slow, and the creaking door sounded so out of place in this well kept hotel. None of our doors were squeaky. I was also pretty sure there was no floor above us. I decided I must be wrong and that there must be something above our room or it didn't make sense. The noises continued for a bit and then stopped and I eventually fell asleep.

The next morning at breakfast our guides came over to our table to discuss the biking route for the day. I told them I hadn't slept well because someone was clomping around on the floor above us. I described the sound and the creaking door in great detail as they looked at me oddly, then at each other for a moment and said, "Ya weird, anyway, here's your route notes enjoy your breakfast."

We stayed there for one more night before heading to our second hotel but I didn't hear a thing.

Two days later, our guide, Marco told us that they didn't want to mention it at the time, but there was no floor above our room that night. The room we stayed in was supposedly haunted. By a Nun. When they scoped out the trip a while ago, the proprieters told them a few rooms were haunted but they had laughed it off because A: Who really believes in that stuff, and B:None of their travellers had ever mentioned anything about it before.

When I heard that it raised the hair on my arms.

I'm glad to be home.

Nighty night!