September is
the time for historical reenactments and
medieval-style celebrations in the region’s
numerous castles.
Here you might encounter odd figures as each of
these castles host at least one noble ghost
still tormented by “matters of the heart”…
here’s where you’ll find them …
At least two ghosts live in the Castello di Monselice:
Avalda, a tiny, ethereal lady who is
continuously searching for her lover Ezzelino da
Romano, and Jacopino da Carrara, an uncombed,
grey-haired man with a cane in his hand to guide
him in his pilgrimage.
Monna Avalda, wife of the nobleman Azzo d’Este,
is still lurking amongst the walls of the Castle
at night, searching for her young lover with
whom she spent many passionate nights, and to
whom she owes the cause of her death.
The incident took place in
the honor hall of the castle at the hand of her husband,
who was enraged after he had discovered the betrayal.
Jacopino da Carrara ruled the city together with his
nephew Francesco who, afraid of being ousted by his
uncle, sent him to the dungeon of the Castle where he
starved to death.
Jacopino’s lover, Giudita, tried to meet him in the
dungeon but she, too, was captured and imprisoned.
When Jacopino discovered that she shared the same fate
as him, he began screaming at the top of his lungs so
that she would hear him. That is why even today
Jacopino’s ghost is lurking amongst the walls of the
Castle in search for her, while she, hearing his howls
of pain, stops people in the middle of the street to ask
about him.
In the Castello
del Catajo you can see a stone stained with
the blood of Lucrezia degli Obizzi, who was
savagely murdered the night of 14 November 1654
by an admirer she had refused.
The spirit of this unlucky girl now roams
throughout the Castle, and many people claim to
see a figure appearing on the highest windows of
the Catajo, wearing a light blue dress…
The ghost of the young
daughter of Gennaro dei Gibelli is definitely touching:
she passed away in pain for not having had the chance to
marry the man she loved. People say that she sometimes
appears crying amongst the Castello di Valbona’s
merlons. A legend says that you can see her only if, at
that moment in your life, you are suffering from love.
Near Montagnana
there’s the ancient Castello di San Zeno
where quite sinister phenomena are supposed to
happen: people claim to hear strange noises and
see lights turning on and off for no reason.
Some say these phenomena are caused by Tommaso
da Mantova (who belonged to the Corte dei
Carraresi) who was murdered by the folks up in
arms, near Rocca degli Alberi.
The legend says that in the little lake behind
Castello di Lispida a mermaid appeared to
the desperate Conte di Monticelli. He had
decided to kill himself by flowing into the lake
in order to put an end to all his sufferings
caused by the illness that was afflicting him in
the legs. The count immediately fell in love
with the wonderful mermaid who urged him to
bathe his legs in the warm mud on the lake floor.
The count did so and his
legs immediately healed. Once he had finished bathing,
he searched for his beloved siren but in vain. Still
today, Monticelli’s ghost is lurking nearby the lake in
search of a mermaid: only during Saint Giovanni’s night
he can meet his saviour.
Legend or truth, all the women in love with this place
swear that during Saint Giovanni’s night, from Lispida
lake, they hear the melodious voice of the mermaid, who
speaks and dances all night long together with her young
Monticelli.
Besides all the
stories about ghosts living in castles, here
follow some popular tradition stories concerning
the places which surround the Euganean Hills:
El
Salvanéo
He is a kind of elf wearing a red hat
and booties who lives in the woods,
amongst impenetrable briars or amongst
trees branches. Salvaneo loves children,
to whom he gives delicious sweets. In
addition, he is a bit cheeky with girls
who stroll about the woods. Legend has
it that he is the reason for accidents
and mishaps in farm life, like haystacks
catching on fire or nervous cows in the
stable.
The famous ‘Povolata di Ca’ Oddo’ in Monselice
According to popular legend, you can find the
remains of a witch under the roots of this old
tree. The “Povolata” is supposed to have been
planted in order to harness the evil forces of
the witch who was burned there: she predicted
her own resurrection at the moment in which the
tree would be struck or cut down.
It seems that its branches bend to harass
passer-bys, and no bird has ever nested on it.
If you touch its trunk, you’ll find it feels
cold in summer and hot in winter…
The “Piera de Spaca”
In front of Galzignano town hall there is an odd
stone that appears to be a milling machine: it
is called the “Piera de Spaca.”
“Spaca,” who actually lived during the
eighteenth century, was the owner of an inn
where passing carriages used to stop. He was a
perverse and fiendish man, but with kind and
charming manners: he used to take care of the
guests in order to gain their trust; then, he
would slip them a strong sleeping pill to make
them fall asleep, after which he would bring
them to the stone, stab them and finally rob
them of everything they possessed. Spaca would
then bury them by a big almond tree nearby,
which is supposed to have died just a few years
ago.
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