In the village there are those who swear they were shocked by the melancholic sight of a woman wrapped in her long white hair wandering in the night on the walkways of the Castle of Fosdinovo, illuminated by the white light of the full moon. There is no doubt that it must be the Ghost of Bianca Malaspina, killed by her father because of the all-encompassing love for a man that the family could not accept.
Moreover, no one was too surprised when, a few years ago, the restoration work on the medieval manor of historical Lunigiana revealed the presence of the remains of a young woman, located in a small underground cell, together with those of a dog and a wild boar.
Bianca Malaspina, the legend
The life of Bianca Malaspina is surrounded by a dense mystery, no portraits of her are found, despite her noble lineage. No honor was ever recognized to her, even if this is common to all women of her time, even the most virtuous and capable.
We know that she was born around the mid-seventeenth century, daughter of Giacomo II, Marquis of Fosdinovo of the Malaspina House and Maria Grimaldi. And some say that she was an albino, therefore a source of great embarrassment for the Malaspina family, lords of Massa and Lunigiana, who kept her hidden in the dungeons of the Castle of Fosdinovo. This condition, however, is traditionally told for other rather unfortunate women in history, almost to justify the removal from daylight of the unfortunate.
More likely, her lack of presence in the annals is due to the fact that from a very young age she stubbornly disobeyed her father’s will to marry her to a nobleman of a neighboring house.
The young and determined woman had in fact fallen in love with the stableman of the fortress, and was sincerely reciprocated by him.
The father, as punishment, forced her into monastic life. But she, although confined, refused her vows and continued to meet her great love, perhaps even becoming pregnant.
The noble parent could not bear the strength of this daughter-woman, and blinded by rage had her lover killed and, perhaps even after atrocious torture, had the girl walled up in the dungeons of the castle, accompanied by a wild boar – the symbol of rebellion against the family – and a dog, a symbol of faithful love.
Since then, screams of terror and visions of women walking in the night in Fosdinovo have been very frequent.
Cruel father, honored lord of the Flowered Branch of the Malaspina
We modern readers of this sad story are led to think that this parent was an unhappy man who did not know how to give Aloisa the love of a father that was due to the unfortunate girl.
In reality, however, the determined Bianca Maria was simply a victim of her time, in which no woman, especially if noble, was granted any self-determination .
Moreover, Giacomo did not seem to have a good relationship with his children, because his son Andrea was accused of attempted patricide.
For the rest, the lord of the flowered branch of the Malaspina House, lords of Lunigiana, is well remembered in the history of his family and the entire region . Together with his wife he was an important ruler of Fosdinovo, which under his marquisate became a nerve center of communications in Lunigiana, and his castle became increasingly impressive and festive: it is said that the two dedicated themselves to parties and excesses.
He rebuilt the Oratory of the Whites, which burned down in 1501 (1641-53), the Marquisate of Gragnola returned under the power of the Malaspina of Fosdinovo (1644) and in 1636 the Castle came to have as many as 800 “fires”.
The magnificen Fosdinovo Castle in Lunigiana
The Castle of Fosdinovo is the best preserved structure among the fortified residences of the Lunigiana Malaspina . It was the defensive construction of the castrum of Fosdinovo starting from the twelfth century, and from the fourteenth it housed the residence of the Marquis of the flowered branch of the family, due to its dominant position with an extraordinary view over the entire valley down to the sea, it became the base of his large fiefdom of Lunigiana, and saw alternating fortunes until the eighteenth century.
Today the Castle is a museum, a cultural center dedicated to the production and dissemination of contemporary arts, a residence for artists and writers and also houses a small bed and breakfast, welcoming and evocative.
Visiting the Fosdinovo Castle.
The guided tour of the Castle of Fosdinovo takes place on Saturdays and Sundays and lasts about 50 minutes.
Maximum number allowed: 25 people per group.
The final part of the visit features steep stairs and merloned towers.
Please note that booking tickets is a priority for access. However, it is also possible to buy the entrance ticket directly at the Castle Library for the remaining availability.
