If you knew the recipe for an undetectable poison, would you use it? What about giving it to women with abusive husbands? Giulia Tofana's legendary poison Aqua Tofana (brilliantly disguised as holy ointment) was famed and feared in 17th-century Rome. But just how many terrible husbands can drop dead, before the Pope gets suspicious?

In this year's Halloween Special, our guests are Gaia Aloisi and Ted Blackburn, the creators of Aqua Tofana, a new electronic opera about the life of Giulia Tofana.

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Find out more about Aqua Tofana the opera (and watch the Act 1 Preview) HERE

Connect with the Aqua Tofana team on Instagram @AquaTofanaOpera

The Black Widows of the Eternal City by Craig Monson is HERE from Indie booksellers

You may also enjoy reading Mike Dash's history of Aqua Tofana - a lively summary of the Magical Underworld of Rome, though lacking the primary sources of the trial

Other music featured: Halloween Midnight by Roman Cano; Ghost Story and Ghost Processional by Kevin MacLeod

Episode cover image is from The Love Potion by Evelyn De Morgan, 1903

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