Arezzo and the castle of ghosts
The Conti Guidi castle, known as ‘i Poppi’, in Arezzo, is considered to be haunted. Over the centuries, many people have claimed to have seen its ghost, and during both the medieval and Renaissance periods, the bodies of men were found at the foot of the castle. This has fuelled the legend of the Black Widow, Matelda.
However, we are talking about a castle that possesses something magical and imposing. A symbol of the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, its architecture and construction are oriented towards the sun, which is why its colours change throughout the day. Built by the Conti Guidi family in Poppi, it is linked to many stories of political intrigue, power and military affairs. It is a fortress that occupies an excellent strategic position.
Arezzo offers plenty to see and visit, as it is a city that has retained its medieval character, but the Poppi Castle is certainly something you shouldn’t miss.
The Poppi Castle
History records the Poppi Castle as a key player in the Battle of Campaldino. The structure was built around 1190 and subsequently renovated in 1200. It comprises two sections – one ancient and one more recent – corresponding to the dates mentioned above.
Comprising an imposing structure – which makes it a bastion unlike any other – it features a tall tower that towers over the city of Arezzo. Inside, there are several areas that can be visited in their entirety, such as the decorated hall, the Rilliana Library and the upper floors.
There is the Cappella dei Poppi, containing frescoes depicting St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, painted by Taddeo Gaddi, who was one of Giotto’s pupils.
To enter the castle, one had to cross a small bridge, as it was surrounded by a moat which has now been filled in and replaced by a splendid garden and park.
The Legend of Matelda, the Black Widow
Be careful not to look at Poppi Castle on nights of the full moon or the new moon. Leaning out of its windows, the ghost of Matelda might be watching you and seducing you.
The legend of the Black Widow dates back to around 1200. Matelda was a beautiful woman, desired by all the men of Arezzo. Having been given in marriage to the Lord of Poppi, no one dared approach her. As was customary in the Middle Ages, the young girl, barely a teenager, was given in marriage, through an arranged marriage, to a man much older than herself.
He, however, left her alone whilst he was away on military or political campaigns. Furthermore, her husband, the Lord of Poppi, was very violent, jealous and possessive. He would kill anyone who looked at his wife and would have killed her too if she had looked at anyone else.
However, she was allowed to have minstrels, seamstresses and craftsmen to fulfil her every whim.
Matelda, young and lonely, engaged in extramarital affairs, but she had devised a way to prevent rumours from reaching her husband’s ears. After a night of passion, she would lead her lovers through a secret passage where they met their deaths.
There was one thing Matelda had not reckoned with, namely that men boast even before they reach the lady’s chamber. Those who declared that they would spend ‘this night’ with Matelda would vanish the very next day. At this point, the women of Arezzo began spying on Matelda and, once they had proof of her misdeeds, they stormed the castle and walled Matelda up alive in the tower, leaving her to die of loneliness.
Ever since then, however, on nights of the full moon and the new moon, Matelda appears at the castle windows. She seduces the men whose gaze meets hers and, to take her revenge on the women of Arezzo, causes them to die in a freezing embrace during a night of passion with her ghost.
