Man is naturally attracted by the paranormal and all that is unexplainable. The success of reality shows such as Ghost Hunters, but also of series like the X Files in the 90s or American Horror Story more recently is proof of it.
In truth, we can go much further back in time and find even more evidence of it, two words standing up and shining against the pitch black, thick coat of night: gothic literature.听And when you think of gothic literature, you think of … castles,听majestic, ancient buildings, often associated to a time, the Middle Ages, considered mysterious and “dark” (even if historically it was not quite the case, but this is another story).听Italian castles are so many and so amazingly wonderful we have even dedicated a series of articles to them (click on the link).
The castles we are going to check out today are very special indeed, because they have, or so legends say, very special inhabitants: ghosts. Here are some of the most famous and spookiest of Italian castles. Feel free to be afraid…
Valle d’Aosta: Castello di Issogne, home to a femme fatale
Let us start with a bang: a beautiful fedifragous woman, two marriages, dozens of lovers. Murders, loads of murders. This is, in short, the story behind the Castle of Issogne‘s haunting. A bit of history first, though. The castle was built on the right bank of the Dora Baltea,听in the centre of the Alpine town of Issogne. The first documents attesting its existence are from the mid 12th听century, but it certainly reached the height of splendor in the early Renaissance period. Ghosts or not, the castle is worth a visit:听its internal yard, embellished by a precious fountain听called fontana del melograno听and by colorful frescoes, is astonishing.
What about the ghosts 鈥� you probably wonder 鈥� we want to know about the ghosts!
Here I tell you. The castle was home to Bianca Maria di Challant,听who is said to still live in its rooms. Bianca Maria married for the first time very young, to Ermes Visconti di Somma, but lost her husband soon after. She married again with another nobleman, Count Renato di Challant, proprietor of the castle, but their union was ill-fated, as well.
Bianca Maria was young, pretty and liked men;听she was also a countess, so she basically could pick any hunk she liked. So far, you may think, nothing out of the ordinary: in the end, history teaches being unfaithful was quite the norm in听noble families in the Middle Ages and beyond.听Bianca Maria, though, did not want people to get to know about her escapades, so she had to eliminate the main source of information about them: her lovers. Bianca Maria di Challant had many of her lovers killed, and was eventually condemned to death by beheading. She was executed in Milan, but her soul returned to Issogne, where it still lives. She has been seen by many a witness, who describe her as听a beautiful young woman, always smiling and very charming, who loves bestowing kisses to those more receptive to her presence.
Boys, do not get too friendly听with the lady.
Piemonte: Castello della Rotta, the most haunted place in the country
Knights, countesses, monks, full processions of ghosts: all these have been seen at听Castello della Rotta听and, of course,听they were not made of flesh and bones like you and me. This听medieval times castle (its first stone was probably placed sometimes in the 12th听century) was built in an isolated area, about 10km from the town of Moncalieri. It is surrounded by three rivers 鈥撎齮he Po, the Stellone and the Banna 鈥� and it was very likely built for defensive and strategic purposes. All spooky legends related to the castle seem to originate from the fact it was a Templars’ stronghold for more than 300 years. The fact it is not far from Turin, a notoriously magical city, certainly increased its ghostly cred.
Legends and paranormal experiences听began to be recounted at the beginning of the 20迟丑听century: the castle was in dismay and stories about its supernatural inhabitants started听circulating. However, it was not until the 1980s that the Castello della Rotta obtained the dubious award of most haunted place in Italy, after听the amount of听witness accounts about ghostly presences increased exponentially.
Its rooms and gardens are said to be regularly roamed by a knight on听his horse,听an evil priest, an ecclesiastical procession 鈥撎齱hich appears only on the 14th听of June 鈥撎齛 noblewoman, a cardinal, a nanny and a man dressed in black. I do not know about the others, but the knight’s story was somehow confirmed by the finding of his bones, along with those of his horse. The human remains, buried on the听castle’s grounds, were found along with an iron cross, which听witnesses said to have seen on the ghost, too.
Emilia-Romagna:听il castello di Montebello and听Azzurrina, the seven centuries old girl
The castle of Montebello is a beautiful building, which has been recently renovated and opened to the public. Still the property of an old Italian noble family, the Counts Guidi di Bagno, the castle is home, since 1370, to young Guendalina (or Adelina), daughter of Ugolinuccio, feudal lord of Montebello di Torrione. The legend says that听Guendalina was an albino and that her parents, probably to protect her from the common medieval belief albinos were connected to the Devil, used to regularly dye her hair black. Because of the nature of the dyes used听and听the fact albinos’ hair cannot keep pigments as easily as other types of hair, Guendalina’s locks were not black, but light blue, just like her eyes, hence the name with which she is commonly known, 础锄锄耻谤谤颈苍补.听
On the Summer solstice of 1375, during a tremendous storm, Azzurrina vanished听in the castle’s cellars and her body was never found. Every five years, however, she returns to her home on the day of her disappearance, crying and screaming.
But what do we actually know about Azzurrina? Very little and our sources are only pseudo-historical: her story听was very likely passed on orally for generations and only written down in the early 17th听century by a local priest. However, even this written document is surrounded by mystery, as no one has ever seen it. Something certain is the overall ghostly fame of the castle, as documents from the 19th听century mention hauntings and apparitions not related to Azzurrina.
Puglia: il听Castello di Otranto, where听history, ghosts and literature meet
If you majored in English literature, or just love reading, mentions of the Castle of Otranto will bring back memories of Horace Walpole and his novel, considered the first gothic piece ever written. Today, though, we will not discuss听Walpole’s contribution to the creation and development of a literary genre, but rather about what inspired him to write in the first place, the real Castello di Otranto.听Because, believe me, Walpole did not come out with anything people were not saying already about this place.
The castle has early medieval origins, but was in part destroyed during the siege of 1067. It was rebuilt in 1228 by Frederick II and in 1480 by Alfonso of Aragon. Tales of ghostly infestations related to this beautiful example of military architecture are many, even though not particularly known听among thrill hunters. Apparently, the fortress is home to the ghost of a Spanish woman, who is buried in its chapel, but it is the legend of the headless knight that truly attracts our attention: when the town of Otranto was sieged by the Turks, in 1480, many people were beheaded by the invaders, including courageous Count Giulio Antonio Acquaviva di Conversano.听The legend says that, however, the count continued fighting and killing enemies even after he was beheaded and that his ghost still inhabits the rooms of the castle. Spooky and oh so early gothic. Walpole chose the perfect location for his novel: no wonder it gave start to one of the most fruitful genres of world literature!
Sicilia: il Palazzo della Zisa and its demons
The Palazzo della Zisa in breathtaking Palermo听has a beautiful legend of love standing behind his construction, but also… demons residings within its walls.
First things first: the Palazzo della Zisa was built in 1175 by William I of Sicily, within the Royal Norman Park. Along with the “Cuba,” another outstanding building in Palermo, Palazzo della Zisa is one of the best example of Arab-Norman architecture in the city. The legend says that a Lybian prince fell听in love with a princess, but their liason was听obstacled by the families and the two fled听to Palermo.听Here听the prince, Azel Comel, had brought a large part of his father riches, which he hid in a palace he had听built for his lover, El-Aziz (hence the name “La Zisa”). But when the girl got听to know her mother died of pain after her disappearance, the events took听a turn for the worst and lead to the death of the two lovers as well.
Apparently, the treasure stolen听by Azel Comel is still inside the palace, guarded by a legion of demons we can see painted on the ceiling of the Sala della Fontana. Legend says the spell keeping them there can be broken only on the 25th听of March, day of the Annunciation, by counting their exact number… it seems easy, but it is said the fiendish figures start moving around, making it听impossible to reach the听right number.
More than the idea of little devils moving around a ceiling, is that of a hoard of evil spirits residing in the palace that unsettles me…
First, haunted mansions, now haunted castles… Where will our exploration of haunted Italy will bring us next? Stay tuned to find out!
Signora,
I love your articles! May I know if you have written some books on this subject?
Thank you!