Enrichetta, the exorcist in Turin

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Enrichetta Naum, a self-proclaimed exorcist, lived in Turin in Via Cappel Verde 6. Her ability to recognise the devil was usually reserved only to priests chosen by the ecclesiastical authority. However, the woman, specialising in casting out demons, attracted many customers hopeful to relieve their worst pains. It is said that she performed extravagant rituals, including uttering spells of which she did not understand the meaning and boiled strange concoctions with unpleasant smells.

In the last years of her life, she moved to an attic in Via Garibaldi, where she died in 1911, just in the days when Turin hosted the Great International Exhibition.