Cittàgazze (abbreviated to Ci'gazze) is a fictional city that exists in a fictional parallel universe, invented by the fantasy fiction author Philip Pullman for his bestselling trilogy, His Dark Materials. In quantum mechanics, a parallel universe, also sometimes called an alternate universe, or an alternate dimension, is a hypothetical universe which exists separately from our own. ... For other definitions of fantasy see fantasy (psychology). ... Philip Pullman Philip Pullman, (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer, educated at Exeter College, Oxford, who is the bestselling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy of fantasy novels and a number of other books, purportedly for children, but attracting increasing attention by adult readers. ... The three volumes (left to right) of the trilogy His Dark Materials is a trilogy of novels by the fantasy fiction author Philip Pullman, comprising Northern Lights (released as The Golden Compass in the United States), The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. ...

The city appears first in the second volume of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, and also has it's place in the final volume, The Amber Spyglass. The Subtle Knife is a novel by author Philip Pullman, and the second in the His Dark Materials trilogy, in which Lyra continues her journey, published in 1997. ... Will and Lyra (in yellow) The Amber Spyglass is the third and final novel in the His Dark Materials series, written by British novelist Philip Pullman, and published in 2000. ...

It is a Mediterranean-like seaside town, seemingly with Italian-similar roots, filled with quaint restaurants, parasols hung over circular tables beneath trailing plants, wide cobbled roads, and the odd bit of ancient architecture. The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

Specifically, the City also contains a tower called the Torre degli Angeli, 'Tower of the Angels', in which the Subtle Knife has its residence.

More importantly however, the city is filled with deadly beings called Spectres. These are invisible to pre-adolescents, but once they can be seen, it means they are a threat. Spectres eat away people's dæmons, or souls, and leave them zombie-like and lifeless. Hence, the city is entirely devoid of adults, and is almost empty, though populated by small rag-tag gangs of pre-teens. A spectre is a representation of something supernatural or frightening, usually imaginary. ... The term Daemon has several meanings: Daemon (mythology) - see also Demon Daemon (computer software), a background process Daemon (His Dark Materials) in the Philip Pullman trilogy of novels His Dark Materials Daemon (Warhammer) Daemon Sadi (SaDiablo) is a character in the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. ... A zombie is a kind of undead, or figuratively, a very apathetic person. ...

Cittàgazze means 'City of the Magpies'.

The parallel universes of the His Dark Materials world are crossed into by use of the Subtle Knife, which can cut windows into other worlds. Cittàgazze is the first alternate world that the protagonists of the triolgy come to, although the first window-between-worlds is created at the climax of Northern Lights by Lord Asriel, without the use of the Knife, but, rather, by harnessing the energy released from the severence of a dæmon to create a Bridge to the Stars. Northern Lights is a common name for the polar aurorae in the northern hemisphere. ... Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series. ...

The Spectres of the city are present due to the use of the Subtle Knife. Every time a window is opened to another world, a Spectre escapes from the void between worlds.