Dal Verme Castle of Zavattarello

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Dal Verme Castle of Zavattarello

By Comune di Zavattarello on 26th July, 2014 CASTLES

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Comune di Zavattarello

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Entirely stone-made, with walls up to 4 metres thick, the Castle of Zavattarello is a titanic building, an astonishing medieval fortress that resisted numerous sieges.
From the terrace and the tower you can see a breathtaking panorama of all the surrounding land: green fields, deep woods, high mountains and low hills with other castles - Montalto Pavese, Valverde, Torre degli Alberi, Pietragavina. From here, you can understand well why they decided to build this stronghold here, in such a strategic place.
The solid fortress overlooks the ancient village clinging to the hill, that once was without trees to allow the castle defenders a better control against enemies. Now, instead, the wood surrounding the building is a protected area, a 79 hectares park. We invite you to come and discover the beauty and the history, the art and the architecture, the past and the future of this fully restored medieval castle. Events, ceremonies, exhibitions, parties, conferences make these rooms alive, where ancient and modern merge, creating a unique emotional twine.

Besides important historical facts, the Dal Verme Castle saw also numerous strange events that still remain without an explanation. They are credited to the spirit of Pietro dal Verme, lord of this castle in the 15th century.

The castle is an important evidence of military architecture: it saw a lot of sieges but was never captured.
The guided tour visit every room, from the prisons to the top of the tower, from which you can see a panorama of all the land.
Here you can notice the strategic position of the castle: you can see other castles (Valverde, Pietragavina, Torre degli Alberi, Montalto Pavese) till the Pianura Padana. During sunny days, you can see the Alps embracing the hills.
Unique is the system of inner floors, with a lot of main and secondary stairs: this aspect of the castle is very singular and is not only the effect of centuries of changes.
The restoration of all the building is complete and now the Town Hall is trying to retrieve ancient furniture, which are giving back to the rooms their ancient splendor: the Main Room, the Music Room, the Arms Room, the kitchen and more.
But what impress more is the majesty, the solemnity, the emotion you can feel being immersed into one thousand years of history, retracing step by step the life of people who, passing by, left here a trace of themselves, a fragment of their own life and time.
This legacy was taken by the tourist guides, the custodians, the town administrators and everyone who loves this magical place and works to transmit the heritage of the past to build a better future.

A ghost in the rooms History and legend of Pietro dal Verme

Pietro was engaged to Chiara Sforza, the daughter of the mighty lord of Milan Galeazzo Maria: a wedding planned to unite two rich and powerful families of Northern Italy.
But Pietro fell in love with Cecilia Del Maino, daughter of the duchy's counsellor Andreotto. With him, Pietro began a negotiation to marry his beloved, but the Sforza family didn't like that: Galeazzo Maria arrested Pietro for disobedience, trying to convince him to marry Chiara. But in the end the man was released thanks to Federico da Montefeltro and also gained the consent to his marriage with Cecilia.
They lived together for a few years, until the premature death of the woman in 1479.
And since Chiara Sforza was still unmarried, in a short time the wedding between her and Pietro was celebrated.
But the contemporary historians say that the bride didn't accept to be the second choice: she never forgot she was refused a few years before, so she decided to take her revenge. Perhaps incited by her uncle Lodovico il Moro, who would have gained a lot from Pietro's death, Chiara murdered her husband.
They say that on 17th October 1485 the lady poisoned Pietro's breakfast, and he had no escape.
Here where history ends, the legend begins...
There are numerous witnesses telling about inexplicable facts happened in the rooms of the castle of Zavattarello: moved chairs, eerily opened doors, scores disappeared during concerts, frightful sounds, male voices without a face.
On these things are investigating the paranormal researchers of hesperya, who were able to record suspicious anomalies during their surveys in the castle.