Lari, a Haunted Castle and Village with Tales of Witchcraft

The tiny hilltop village of Lari is located about 30 km from Pisa and is believed to have been founded by the Etruscans. Most of the present day castle, situated in the centre of the village, dates back to the first half of the 17th century; however, some early documents attest to the existence of a castle at Lari long before 1200. As one of the most important military strongholds of the Pisan Republic, in the 13th century Lari Castle became the subject of dispute between Pisa and Florence and was finally captured by the latter in 1406. The Florentines turned it into the residence of the vicars, also featuring a court room, a prison and a torture chamber. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the defense system of the castle was reinforced and a number of rooms were beautifully frescoed probably by Andrea da Pisa and Fra Bartolomeo. The 18th century saw the enlargement of the prison, which remained in use until 1934. The Florentine vicars lived in the castle until 1848, when the vicariate was suppressed and the castle became the seat of the pretore (a type of magistrate). In 1991, the volunteers of the Cultural Association “Il Castello” and the Municipality of Lari started restoring the castle, bringing it back to its original beauty; because of their efforts and dedication, today we can visit the court room, the basement (also known as the Inferno), the infamous Room of Torment, the chapel and the inner courtyard.

The Ghost of Rosso della Paola

Lari Castle is said to be haunted by the spirit of Giovanni Princi, also known as Rosso della Paola, who was found hanging in his prison cell on the morning of December 16, 1922 after being jailed for his political views. The circumstances surrounding his death – seemingly suicide – were never made clear; however, on that morning, his body presented unequivocal marks of violence and therefore it was speculated that he had been beaten and murdered before being hanged. After the prison was closed in 1934, the former custodian and his family continued to inhabit the castle and were the first people to claim to have seen the ghost of Rosso della Paola every so often, during the night of December 15th and 16th. Many other people say they have witnessed unexplained occurrences inside the castle, especially the ghost of a man, wreathed in a strange mist, quickly disappearing into the darkness.