The Legend of Azzurrina is part of the dark side of Italian culture. Everyone in the country knows the story of the ghost of the blue-haired albino girl.
These stories pass from parents to children and remain throughout the years, as cultural heritage of a community. Italy, with its buildings dating back centuries, is a fertile country for the creation of many legends.
The Legend of Azzurrina emerged in the Castle of Montebello, which is in the city of Torriana, region of Emilia-Romagna. The city and castle, built by the Romans in the 3rd century, are still open to visitors today because of this legend.
Legend of Azzurrina and the hidden girl
The story goes that, in the 14th century, the girl Guandelina Malatesta, daughter of the feudal lord Uguccione, was born an albino. At that time, albinos were considered diabolical and were sentenced to death for witchcraft.
Like albinism is a disease that mainly affects hair pigmentation, her mother tried to dye Guandelina's hair black with an herbal dye.
What her mother didn't know is that albino children's hair doesn't hold black dye and, for that reason, Guandelina ended up with light blue hair.
Thus, the family locked the girl in one of the castle's rooms, away from the eyes of the population. Furthermore, she was constantly watched by two soldiers.
One day, she was playing with a ball of cloth, which ended up rolling down the stairs to the basement. The girl ran to get the ball, but it did not return and was never found. She was even searched for in neighboring villages, but without success.
Moans in the castle corridors
The episode would have occurred on June 21, 1375, during the Summer Solstice. Since then, Montebello Castle has become known as one of the most haunted spots in Italy.
A Legend of Azzurrina It says that every five years, always on the summer solstice, it is possible to hear in the darkness of the castle the moans and cries of Azzurrina (blue), who received this name from the color of her hair and eyes.
There are other legends about hauntings and even elves that would inhabit the Montebello Castle. During the night, it would not be uncommon to hear screams and banging caused by tormented spirits.
These are stories that will always fill people’s imaginations. And many will take advantage of their passage through Italy to visit the castle.
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