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Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose" was inspired by a mountaintop.
The Medieval Benedictine Abbey of Sacra di San Michele perched precariously atop Mount Pirchiriano is said to have been the inspiration for Umberto Ecco’s novel of death and deceit among monks, The Name of the Rose. Other than its dramatic and imposing mountaintop location, the Abbey has many odd details and stories that might appeal to aspiring murder novelists: The Abbey is reached via the Scalone del Morti (“Stairway of the Dead”), named for the presence of the bodies of dead monks that used to decorate the niches along the sides. At the top of the stairs, the Porta dello Zodiaco (“Zodiac Door”) is carved with signs of the zodiac and hair-pulling cherubs.
