In un castello da sogno sul Lago Maggiore

History

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History

The true history of the Castello Dal Pozzo

Historic resort on Lake Maggiore Castello Dal Pozzo is a magnificent luxury boutique hotel, located in the village of Oleggio Castello, overlooking Lake Maggiore. Its history dates back to the 10th century, when the remains of a Roman Castrum belonging to the 5th Legion were brought to light.

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The history of the Castle

The Castrum was called Q.Legio, from which the name Olegio seems to derive, Olezo, named Oleggio Castello in honor of the Visconti building built around the year 1000. It was precisely from the shores of Lake Maggiore that the Visconti, around 1200, moved to the dominion of the Signoria of Milan, assumed since 1277 and which ended with the death of Filippo Maria (1447), whose only daughter Bianca was married to Francesco Sforza who continued the splendor and independence of the Duchy of Milan. In the following centuries, the castle was abandoned until a partial, but substantial destruction.

Only in the mid-sixteenth century, the descendants of the Visconti, who became Aragon in 1426 by concession of King Ferdinando of Naples, recovering the remains of the Castle, they rebuilt a residential building. The marquis Alberto Visconti d'Aragona, the last of this name, was implicated for his active participation in the Carbonari uprisings and, for this, tried, sentenced to death and the expropriation of property.

The properties passed to his sister Virginia, wife of Bonifazio dal Pozzo d'Annone, of Piedmontese origin, of Rovereto, later renamed Alessandria in honor of Rolando Bandinelli, Pope Alexander III in 1167. His son Claudio (1839-1885), passionate about Richard Popwell Pullan, William Burgess' s brother - in - law and follower of the Augustus Pugin school, was commissioned to redesign and restructure the structure, transforming it into a Gothic - Revival style castle surrounded by a majestic park. Next to it stands the eighteenth-century palace where Alberto Visconti d'Aragona lived until his death after being pardoned. Died in 1895, he is buried, together with his wife Donna Luigia, of the Marquis of Monticelli Obizzi, in the cemetery of Oleggio Castello.

The palace was a refuge and home for many local families with the succession of the World Wars. Subsequently, when Oleggio Castello, leaving Paruzzaro became an autonomous Municipality, the Palace, by concession of the family, was for some decades the seat of the Municipal school of Oleggio Castello and later abandoned.

In recent years it was renovated and meticulously transformed into a magnificent Luxury Boutique Hotel, destined to project the small and peaceful Municipality of Oleggio Castello onto the most coveted international scenario.

The entire property belongs to the Dal Pozzo d'Annone family and is still the seat of the family.

A corner of England

British art experts have defined the architecture of the Castle as one of the purest examples of the Gothic Revival, very popular in the Victorian era. The Marquis Claudio Dal Pozzo d 'Annone was a passionate scholar of the 16th century Gothic style and the Castle reflects this artistic passion.

Outside the castle has a very compact physiognomy. The grandiose landscaping emphasizes it all. The 24-hectare park is surrounded by rare arboreal essences of great botanical interest.

The entrance porch, the chapel, the massive square tower from the east, the small octagonal tower on the south-western corner, reveal the spirit of the Anglo-Saxon style.

The architecture blends with the typical internal decoration of the period: the stained glass windows of the windows of the apse of the chapel, the wrought iron gates taken from Scottish models, low reliefs set on the external walls of the building, coats of arms and sculptures of various origins . The careful study and loving care for the execution of every detail is clear.

The stencils on the walls, the decorations of the tiles and the decorations of the furniture, bring to the spirit and cultural climate of the artistic movement called 'Gothic Revival' and are taken from the book of drawings 'Of Ecclesiastical Monuments' by Augustus Pugin, upon whose death He was succeeded by architects of the caliber of William Burgess and then William Morris whose movement called 'Arts and Crafts' influenced architecture, interior design and decorative arts.

Although the Gothic Revival style uses simple forms with decorations taken from the medieval era, it could be argued that the movement already lays the foundations of modern design.

Barbara, the ghost

During 1467 the hostilities between the Duchy of Milan and that of Savoy led Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, to move along the Sesia, the river that served as a border between the two states, to face the advance of Amedeo's troops IX of Savoy. To organize the movement of the soldiers, the Duke sent a young captain, Messer Matteo de Grandis, to Verbano.

Messer Matteo was hosted in the fortress of Oleggio Castello by the noble Alberto Visconti, a distant relative of the Duke's mother, Bianca Maria. Messer Matteo was greeted with great honor by the noble Alberto, his wife Beatrice and his young daughter Barbara, whose beauty and a generous heart full of virtues immediately struck the young captain. The father had promised his hand, since childhood, to the son of a neighbor feudal lord: the marriage would have enabled him to secure an important ally.

In the following days Matteo had several occasions to meet Barbara and even when he was engaged in military preparations he was burning with the desire to see her again. She herself had been fascinated by the young soldier, who had shown to have an uncommon sensitivity.

There was no lack of opportunities to be together both in the halls of the Castle and strolling in the garden towards the lake. That was how love blossomed. To seal this tender feeling, approaching the day of Matthew's departure, the two lovers met in the chapel of the Castle and, forgetting the obligations of the families, swore allegiance and kissed each other, to seal their undying love.

While wishing that those days would last forever, the troops were ready to march towards Ghemme, where Duke Galeazzo Maria had established his camp. Matteo had to abandon the castle and his beloved Barbara, and very few promises to return as soon as possible to fulfill their dream of love.

The day after the departure of the beloved, Barbara tried to reach him but her father, who, suspecting what had happened, had her monitored, managed to prevent her from escaping. During the clash that followed Barbara confessed her love for Matteo. Alberto reminded her of the promise of marriage and, in the face of her daughter's refusal to obey, forbade her to see the captain again by locking her in the tower.

The noble Visconti wrote to the Duke complaining of how Messer Matteo had taken advantage of his hospitality, seducing his daughter, whom he had already promised to others, and claiming a just punishment.

Galeazzo Maria Sforza, troubled by the letter, on the opinion of the ducal secretary Cicco Simonetta decided to send Matteo together with the escort who was to accompany his brother Tristano and the painter Zanetto Bugatto to the French court, where they had to meet Bona di Savoia, his future bride.

Matthew was ordered to remain in France in the service of King Louis XI and not to return to Lombardy without a specific order. Madonna Barbara, unaware of Matteo's departure, waited in vain for his return. The days became weeks and then months as the young woman, refusing to leave her room and eat, consumed herself in despair.

Deprived of her love, she did not know how to rest and did not want to see even her mother. The doctors' consultations and the parental care were of no avail. Barbara died of despair and pain. Sometimes, during the night, groans and noises are heard coming from the tower.

Someone claims to have seen a shadow lingering at the window, as if he were peering at the lake in the distance: popular imagination has it that it is the ghost of the beautiful Barbara who, waiting for Matteo, still wanders today without peace in search of his lost love.