Archive for 'Castles & Palaces'

Visit the small grim Strozzavolpe castle near Poggibonsi in the province of Siena in Tuscany and learn about the huge array of eerie myths and legends that envelop it! Visitors wishing to stay in the Poggibonsi area for a few days have a fine selection of great holiday rentals available to them.

There are tales of countless ghosts that haunt the walls of this thousand year old castle but two in particular stand out. One is the story of when the castle was being constructed. A wild animal, described as looking like a huge fox or wolf is said to have terrorised the builders and the castle owner, called Bonifacio.

He was outraged that this creature was causing such a disruption and planned to get his revenge. He strangled the creature with a rope and buried its body within the foundations of the castle. It’s believed that the castle got its name from this grisly tale as it's called Strozzavolpe and the Italian translation of fox is ‘volpe’. Many locals have claimed to have heard the howling of this doomed creature at night as it seeks revenge on Bonifacio for killing it.     Read More

Take a day during your Tuscan holiday to visit the spectacular Sorci castle in Anghiari in the province of Arezzo to learn about the legend of the famous mercenary leader, Baldaccio d’Anghiari! Visitors wishing to stay in the Anghiari area for a few days have a wealth of tuscan villas for rent available to rent all year around.

This castle is now a huge lavish hotel restaurant where you can walk around and envisage the stories that weave through its history. Sorci castle, built during the 12th century was also the inspiration for a well known Italian film, ‘Nothing left to do but cry’.

Sorci castle was Baldaccio’s home and he was a brave and strong military leader, greatly respected by the people of Anghiari. But during a gruesome conflict between him and his enemies, he was savagely beheaded in Palazzo Vecchio and his limp corpse was flung from a window onto Piazza Signoria in front of a terrified crowd!     Read More

Come and learn about the eerie legend of the ghost of Bettino Ricasoli who’s said to haunt the castle of Brolio to this day! Tourists wishing to stay for a few days have plenty of luxury holiday villas in the Chianti region in the province of Siena where the castle stands in its centre.

Visitors will learn all about the history associated with this glorious fortress. It belonged to the powerful Ricasoli family since 1141 and was inherited by Bettino Ricasoli in the 19th century. He was born in 1809 and went on to become a man of great importance and power in the Chianti region.

His stern nature and greed earned him the title of ‘The Iron Baron’ and the farmers who worked on his land were terrified of him. He forbade anyone from greeting him with small talk as he regarded this as a sheer waste of his time.     Read More

If you enjoy learning about exciting stories passed down through history then you’d thoroughly enjoy visiting Crevole castle in the province of Siena to hear about the terrifying legend of the Howling bishop! There is a wealth of tuscan vacation rentals available in this picturesque area to stay in and tour around the castle where this story was born.

Donosdeo Malavolti was a well known bishop in the dioceses of Siena in the 14th century. His religious territory included Crevole castle that was often the scene of many battles between Florence and Siena. His interests leaned more towards fighting on the battlefields to defend his people rather than acting as their religious preacher. He was highly respected and many loyally followed his military plans. He ordered for the castle’s defences to be strengthened and used all his power in the church to build his forces against Florence. Anyone who disputed his tactics were threatened and silenced very quickly.     Read More