Hidden treasures

The ‘resurrecting’ dead of Poppi

Mysteries & Legends
Poppi_morto_resuscitato

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!

By Insidecom Editorial Staff

Latest posts

Siena: Ricciarelli: Siena’s sweets hailing from the far East.

ricciarelli-
Local Traditions

Alongside panforte, they are among Siena’s sweets that best represent the city. Just thinking about their orange and vanilla scent, s...

View

Florence: Who invented the bistecca alla fiorentina?

bistecca
Local Traditions

The Florentine beefsteak is the undisputed queen of Tuscany’s gastronomy. Including the bone, and strictly cooked in ‘blood’ (i.e...

View

Tuscany: Ferdinando Innocenti: the inventor of the Lambretta.

Lambretta
Big Names

There is no doubt that Tuscany is a land of inventors. Just think of Leonardo da Vinci! Ferdinando Innocenti is also one of them. Do yo...

View

Florence: Negroni was born in Florence!

Negroni
Did you know that...

Now that Mojito and Moscow Mule are all the rage as aperitifs, there are classic cocktails that have stood the test of time and moods. ...

View

Top posts

Arezzo: Guido d'Arezzo and the invention of the music

Guido-d-Arezzo
Big Names

In Talla and surroundings people have no doubt: the inventor of the musical stave, the inventor of the music notes and also of the mode...

View

Pistoia: The Kiss of the Christs in Gavinana

Il-bacio-dei-cristi
Local Traditions

It is a very ancient but still popular rite. Two large processions that meet up with a Christ on the cross in front of each one: the he...

View

Siena: Piero Carbonetti and his tin drum

Piero-Carbonetti
Local Traditions

Subversive, persecuted, anarchist, homeless, dreamer: it is really difficult to define Piero Carbonetti, Tuscan bred and born and Garib...

View

Pisa: Kinzika, the young woman who saved Pisa from the Saracens

Kinzika
Local Traditions

It was really her, a young woman with an Arabian name, Kinzica, of the noble Sismondi family, to save Pisa from being sacked by Saracen...

View