Grandmothers' stories
All of Lunigiana is rich in history, magic and fables (fairy tales). Two in particular are told in this area, one in Fosdinovo is the story of Marchesina Bianca Maria Aloisia Malaspina and the other in Canepari, the story of Lago de la Vila, which my grandmother used to tell me by the fireplace when I was a child.
The Phantom of the Castle of Fosdinovo
Bianca Maria, daughter of the Marquis, born with blond hair in those days a sign of misfortune, falls in love with a stable boy and wants to marry him. To no avail are the family's pressures to keep the two young people apart.
In the end the relatives, who saw the name of the household besmirched by the frivolities of a wayward young woman, decided to eliminate any occasion for scandal by having first the boy and later the marquise killed.
Bianca Maria was walled in a castle wall along with her dog (a symbol of loyalty to her lover) and a wild boar (a symbol of rebellion against her parents' wishes). The young woman who was killed at the age of 16 for the sole guilt of love, still roams the castle to this day to make her sad story known to all.
In the end the relatives, who saw the name of the household besmirched by the frivolities of a wayward young woman, decided to eliminate any occasion for scandal by having first the boy and later the marquise killed.
Bianca Maria was walled in a castle wall along with her dog (a symbol of loyalty to her lover) and a wild boar (a symbol of rebellion against her parents' wishes). The young woman who was killed at the age of 16 for the sole guilt of love, still roams the castle to this day to make her sad story known to all.
the history of Lago de la Vila
It was in the winter days when it was raining and loud was the hissing of the wind, sitting almost inside the fireplace I was listening to my grandmother telling me this story. At that time I was 4-5 years old...So many years ago, when still Fosdinovo, Giucano, Carignano, Canepari did not exist, there was a beautiful village placed right over there in the middle of the olive trees; right there where now there is a lake (actually a small pond). It was a very beautiful village and the people lived happily and in harmony, even the animals were happy and worked together with the people with mutual respect. But one day false and evil individuals (outsiders) arrived and the country changed: the harmony between men and animals broke down and people began to sin. God from above complained and urged men to return to the right path. He was not heard. He made another attempt and with more force urged men again to redeem themselves: nothing. It was then that it began to rain and rain until the country sank and a lake was formed....... and to this day, when it rains and blows wind, if you stand with your ears straight you will hear the bells of the Vila ringing on the lake. This is God's warning to the villages in our valley to keep in mind the right way