Disco Inferno / Discoteca della Mafia, Italy

Disco Inferno is an abandoned entertainment complex in Italy. The location is also called Discoteca della Mafia. This was already an old, and somewhat trashed location when I eventually visited it in 2018 during my first Italy road trip. We spent more time walking to the location than shooting it, but it was a nice way to finish a long day exploring. The location is large but relatively empty, mainly filled with rubbish and generally unphotogenic. However, one area still called me to wrestle my camera from my bag. The red chairs move with every photo it seems, but during our visit, they were arranged in a rather neat semi-circle. You can see the piles of stripped wire in one corner after the copper bandits had come out to play.

Story of the Disco Inferno (Discoteca della Mafia)

The discotheque, like many others across Italy, opened in the early 1990s. The theme of the Disco Inferno nightclub is medieval style. The venue is a faux castle, complete with flags on the ramparts and lights fashioned to look like burning torches. You enter by crossing the moat, over an old-fashioned-looking wooden bridge. Inside the place is decorated similarly, the walls are painted to give the impression you are inside a castle. Even the floors match, being a mix of stone and tile. On the walls are paintings of knights and various coats of arms.

The story goes that Disco Inferno was popular for some years before it suddenly closed down. It is claimed that the club was financed by the Mafia. When the law finally caught up with the owner, he was sent to prison amid a long list of crimes. It was certain he would not be returning to manage the club for a long time. The club closed its doors, and now the decades of decay are taking their toll.