If you are fond of legends and believe in ghosts, visit the Doria Castle in Dolceacqua. The best way to get there is to rent a vehicle.
Castles and ghosts, a perfect combination. Even in western Liguria, there are popular legends that continue to dominate converstaions. Among the residences and manors that satisfy the noir taste of fans of the genre is the Doria Castle in Dolceacqua. The castle stands in the upper part of the medieval village . It is located at the foot of Mount Rebuffao, along the Nervia torrent. A legend tells of the ghost of a woman, Lucrezia, also called ‘The White Lady’.The best way to reach Dolceacqua is to rent a vehicle. This way you can visit the castle and the medieval village easily and comfortably . A short-term rental contract will allow you to use the vehicle even for just one day.
The legend of the ghost of ‘The White Lady
At Dolceacqua in the castle, visitors can still see the ghost of Lucrezia, a beautiful but unhappy woman, who appears wearing a white dress. Her soul was trapped in this dwelling because she fell in love with a man called Basso and, above all, because she did not want to spend her wedding night with the evil count of the Doria Castle who introduced the law of ‘ius primae noctis’ in 1300. So, the two lovers decided to marry in secret. However, due to the noise of the party, the guards found them and took her to the castle
. Lucrezia rebelled and tried everything to escape the count’s wishes, even attempting to commit suicide by throwing herself out of a window. The enraged count locked her up in the dungeon thinking she would surrender . However, Lucrezia did not surrender , instead she died of a broken heart. It is also said that during the darkest nights, Lucrezia’s ghost roams the castle. It is also rumoured that she appears and sings love ballads to newly weds.
