The Fontanelle and the Cult of Skulls
Eight thousand skulls and their godfathers
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
A baroque oracle in the heart of Rione Sanità
In a former tuff quarry, eight thousand anonymous skulls have been waiting for their godfathers for four centuries.
Cimitero delle Fontanelle holds the victims of the 1656 plague and the 1836 cholera. The Neapolitans invented the rito delle anime pezzentelle: adopt an abandoned skull, clean it, ask it for a prophetic dream. Some skulls have never received a godfather and are said to carry the oldest secrets of Rione Sanità.
« "Refresca sta capa." »— Neapolitan prayer to the abandoned skulls
The cult of the anime pezzentelle
In 1656, the plague killed almost half the Neapolitan population. Bodies piled up to the point where they had to be stacked in former yellow tuff quarries north of the city, at the Fontanelle. A century and a half later, the 1836 cholera epidemic added its dead. Bones were sorted, cleaned, lined up. Forty thousand remains, eight thousand visible skulls.
In the 19th century, Father Gaetano Barbati organised the site and a popular cult was born: adopt an anima pezzentella, a poor soul with no family, purge it from purgatory in exchange for prophetic dreams and winning lottery numbers. The Church banned the practice in 1969, but the grandmothers of Rione Sanità still come down, cloth in hand. Some skulls still wear an embroidered Virgin, a number, an altar photo.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
8000 skulls
A huge baroque nave populated by anonymous dead.
Anime pezzentelle
The adoption rite of the poor souls, banned in 1969.
Baroque Sanità
Palazzo dello Spagnuolo, double-flight staircases and forgotten courtyards.
Requiem pezzentella
Rest for the nameless souls
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Is this an outdoor escape game in Rione Sanità, Naples or a classic scavenger hunt?
Both at once: it's an outdoor escape game — team puzzles, narration, clues, final code — but in the streets of Rione Sanità, Naples, at your pace. The classic scavenger hunt mechanic plus augmented reality through the camera.
Q02What walking pace should we expect?
Easy stroll: between stops you walk 3 to 7 minutes. No tough climbs unless flagged on the product page. If you really want to push, you can jog between stops, but that's not the point.
Q03Is The Fontanelle and the Cult of Skulls good for a hen / stag party?
Great fit: no costume required, the team really collaborates (it's not a linear path), and the final code earns you a souvenir photo. Pick a calm time slot — early afternoon usually.
Q04Is The Fontanelle and the Cult of Skulls stroller-accessible?
Depends on the exact route in Rione Sanità, Naples. The vast majority of stops are downtown, on sidewalks or squares. If a stair or narrow passage is involved, it's flagged on the product page. Generally: yes, doable with a standard urban stroller.
Avis des aventuriers
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Your turn to play
The skulls will recognise you. Book your descent into the Fontanelle.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
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