The Castello della Rotta is reputed to be the most haunted in Italy. Several ghost stories that surround this ancient fortified mansion, which is located a few kilometers from Moncalieri, at the gates of Turin. A splendid structure that has its roots in the Middle Ages, built in the course of XNUMXth century.
The stories are many and below we will report the best known. There is talk of a priest sentenced to be walled up alive in 1400 for terrible crimes. Wandering in these rooms would be a man killed by beheading (holding his own boss), a beautiful woman who committed suicide because of her husband and numerous soldiers intent on fighting as in the past. Legend has it that on 12 and 13 June you can admire a real one in the middle of the night procession of spirits on their way to the castle.
Its construction in that specific area has a very specific reason: the defense of the bridge over the Banna stream. In fact, it is from here that the Roman road from Pollenzo passed. One wonders, however, the reason for this name. It is not a surname, but a (broken) expression that indicates defeat. Specific reference is made to the defeat of Thomas of Savoy in 1639 against the French. There is no shortage of sources, however, which indicate how the name derives from Rotha, or canal, which stands for open place, considering the position in a wide plain.
Over the centuries, different properties have alternated. It was a castle that belonged to Romans, Lombards and Templars. In 1196 it was then given to Alberto, Master of the Temple militia, becoming the de facto property of the Knights of Malta. A status quo that persisted for three centuries. Coming in recent times, negli a general restoration was carried out in the 80s, which today allows you to appreciate its ancient splendor.
Castello della Rotta, the phantom Templar knight
Within the walls of the Castello della Rotta numerous buried bodies find space. So many battles this place has witnessed. These are not just guesses and stories. During the excavations several skeletons were found. Among these was one of one knight, who was buried with his horse. He wore an iron cross around his neck and the remains were dated between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.
A news that particularly struck the locals, considering how for a long time there was talk of the ghost of a knight who used to wander around the halls of the castle. Legend has it that in the past a young French marquise arrived there, destined to marry the lord of the castle. But she was in love with a knight. A sentiment paid for with life, with the future husband who threw her from the tower. The knight, suffering, vowed to God and left for the Holy Land, then asking to be buried next to his beloved, once he perished in battle.
The friar of the Rotta
Another legend is linked to a noble owner of the castle, who fell in love with a noblewoman. On the day of the engagement, however, they suffered the siege of the Saracens. Some of these chased the bride up to the tower, from which she threw herself so as not to fall into their hands. The lord fought and got the better of it but in the morning he found the body of his lifeless beloved. Due to the severe pain he decided to leave for the Holy Land, making himself Templar warrior monk, so as to take revenge on all the infidels.
The child and the nurse
It tells of a very spiteful child who once lived in this building. It was a torment for his nurse, who was forced to chase him around the manor all day. After losing sight of him, the woman saw him reappear in the courtyard. The nurse decided to ignore him and at that moment a carriage pulled by runaway horses entered the court and overwhelmed him. The shocked woman went into the kitchen and took her own life. Since then it is said that the two ghosts hover in the castle, the first in search of the mother and the second in search of the baby.
Photo source: Castello della Rotta - Aleksei8 - Public domain
