The ‘resurrecting’ dead of Poppi

It is well known that Tuscans have a flair for pranks! Today we will tell you about one concocted as far back as 1300s! This trick, which, among other things, nearly ended tragically, unfolded in the settings of the Castle of Poppi in the province of Grosseto. It is a marvelous example of medieval architecture and you may have heard about it for the ghost stories that surround it. One of them links the Castle of Poppi to the ghost of the beautiful Matelda. In fact, the place has always been associated with a series of unexplained mysteries and legends. And perhaps it is from this characteristic that the joke in question was born. But let's see how things went!

Count Guido, descendant of Simone Battifolle of the Guidi family, had hosted a banquet and, as was fashionable at the time, had invited a troubadour to liven up the evening. The troubadours were minstrels who narrated the stories of ladies and knights with their verses and music. The one hired by Count Guido was called Grifo. He was a tall and thin man, devoted only to his art and absolutely horrified by duels, blood and anything along those lines. It seems he was also particularly fearful and very gullible. The perfect prey for a prank which he himself inadvertently instigated. After his performance he decided, in fact, to immediately get some rest in his room which was on the upper floors. Climbing the stairs, he apparently came across the statue of Simone Battifolle which started chasing him. He himself recounted the incredible story. Bandino and Oberto, cousins of the count, decided to ride the wave of the apparition to design a prank with all the trimmings. They schemed, in fact, to dress Oberto with the same armor as the statue that was in the castle. Dressed this way, he would then pay a short night visit to poor Grifo. Precisely at the stroke of midnight, Oberto with his armor went to the room of the poor troubadour who at the sight of the knight began to run around the castle in the grip of understandable panic. So great was his fear that he fell to the ground lifeless! Or so it seemed.... because maybe in the end it was he who played the best prank! It was obviously apparent death and in any case in those days today's devices were not yet available! The fact is that the morning after, some servants found him alive and well, wandering about in the sepulcher! And that is the explanation for the secret of the resurrecting dead!

Do you like stories like this one imbued with mysteries and legends? Well, then you must absolutely book our tour among the castles of Chianti from Siena with traditional lunch and wine tasting. You will hear more stories like this one... .and maybe after a couple of wine glasses you too will start seeing ghosts!