The Atlas Obscura Podcast Under Our Feet: Damanhur
Sep 25, 2025
Lisa Alpine, a travel writer and dancer, shares her transformative journey to Damanhur, an eco-spiritual commune in northern Italy. She recounts her unexpected initiation experience with visiting psychics, including blindfolded dances and a full moon ceremony in pastel robes. Lisa delves into the secretive construction of the Temple of Humankind, revealing its intricate designs and public recognition as art. Tune in for a fascinating exploration of community, spirituality, and the mysteries that lay beneath our feet.
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Strange Names And Local Currency
- Lisa Alpine arrived at Damanhur and was greeted by a receptionist who introduced himself as "Platypus."
- She learned residents adopt nature-based names and use an internal currency called Dominion coins.
Accidental Initiation With British Psychics
- Lisa accidentally joined a bus of British psychics and was pulled into an initiation instead of a tour.
- The psychics led her into early Damanhur rituals that shaped her immersive visit.
Founder’s Egyptian Museum Awakening
- Falco (Alberto Irawdi) had a formative vision at Turin's Egyptian Museum that shaped Damanhur's practices.
- The community emphasizes past-life memory and a harmony between humans, divine forces, and nature.