The Ricarolo Canavese Castle is located in the province of Torino, in Piedmont, and is known with a very specific name, "Malgrà". A name that seems to derive from the fact that the imposing structure was built despite the opposition of the Valperga family. These were opponents of Martin of San Martino, lord of Rivarolo and Agliè, descendant of King Arduino. It was these who had the Castle built between 1333 and 1336. In 1982 it became property of the Municipality of Rivarolo, engaged in various interventions necessary for the protection of the historical asset. Various repairs have been carried out on roofs and fixtures over the years. The drawbridge has been arranged, as has the ground floor of the north wing, now used for exhibitions. To this is added, then, an extensive restoration of the frescoes present.
The ghost of the Rivarolo Castle
The Castle was at the center of various contrasts between the two families, San Martino and Valperga, but it also hides a dramatic story of death. A young woman lost her life inside the fortress. A violent death at the hands of her husband. The executioner bore the name of Robin of the Pine, known for his ferocity and unscrupulousness. In love with a young woman, he used to torment her with his coarse attentions. Harassing to say the least, it aroused the reaction of her betrothed.
Robino killed him and kidnapped the girl, who was forced to marry him. For him the woman was nothing more than a hunting trophy to be exhibited and, shortly after, when he met another young woman, he decided to get rid of his wife forever. She had become a burden and commissioned one of his men to slit her throat. The girl never had any chance to defend herself in life but in death she got her own revenge. His ghost, the story goes, tormented Robino constantly. The man couldn't sleep, assaulted as he was by the image of his wife with her throat slit. An unparalleled torment that eventually led him to suicide. Even today there are those who claim to have seen the ghost of the woman wandering at night in the maze of the castle. His clothes are bloody and his eyes wide with pain. His footsteps are stealthy and his throat slit, with chilling cries of anguish ending this creepy encounter.
The ghosts of Rocca Canavese
Ghost enthusiasts will have plenty of fun in the area. Not far from the Castello di Rivarolo, in fact, it is located Rocca Canavese. Many claim there are three ghosts to haunt the area of the Malone stream.
It would be the wandering spirits of the sisters Elis and Alicia, together with his mother Maura. Some witnesses describe the young women as slender, tall and with coppery red hair. In the center of the face, then, intense green eyes stand out. The mother, on the other hand, would have an ivory dress, blond hair and blue eyes. A slight brightness seems to surround them, placing them in clear prominence. It seems they had opened an intellectual parlor in their home. A place that became very famous among the gentlemen of the time. Bandits broke into the house at night, hunting for money and jewels. The ensuing struggle generated a fire that soon devoured the house and the three women.
Source of the photograph: Castello Malgrà, Rivarolo Canavese - Laurom - CC BY-SA 3.0
