Interrogation in the Catacombs

Deep beneath the foundations of Castello di Moretti lay a subterranean labyrinth of twelfth-century Norman catacombs, carved directly into the living volcanic basalt of Monte Tauro. The air sixty feet below ground was cold, still, and smelled of ancient damp limestone, mineral salts, and burning olive-oil torches set in blackened iron sconces. Massive ribbed stone arches supported the colossal weight of the fortress above, casting long, menacing shadows across flagstone…