Our walking tour of Salem with Giovanni gave us a much deeper understanding of the witchcraft hysteria of 1692. Giovanni has taught the witch trials for more than 10 years, and it shows. He explained what led up to the hysteria, how it started and how the trials finally came to an end. He also told the stories of the people involved from several sides: the accused, the judges and the bystanders. The tour starts in front of Salem's old Town Hall on Front Street. From there we walked to the sites where the events took place, including the Sheriff Corwin and Judge Hathorne home sites, First Church, the Witch House, the Witch Dungeon Museum, the site of the Court of Oyer and Terminer, Bridget Bishop's home site and the old jail. The tour ends at the Witchcraft Memorial. Most of the original buildings are long gone, but Giovanni's storytelling helped us picture what happened at each spot. His accounts of Bridget Bishop and Giles Corey were especially moving. The tour is entirely on foot and lasts about two hours, so wear comfortable shoes. If you want to understand what really happened in Salem beyond the legends, we highly recommend Giovanni.
