Are you a lover of legends? Discover with us the mysteries of Caserta, home to the world's largest royal residence, the Royal Palace of Caserta, and throughout the province. Amidst love, envy and enchantment, there are so many fascinating stories to be told.

The legend of Rosella in the Royal Palace of Caserta

Our journey into Caserta legends can only begin with a poignant love story. It all begins with a wedding in sight: that of the young prince's Andrea with his beloved Rosella, beautiful girl of humble origins, the daughter of a Neapolitan fisherman. The young Neapolitan aristocrats who aspired to marry the prince were opposed to such a union, so they went to a witch who gave them a poisoned rose: as soon as the young woman smelled it, she would meet certain death.

The rose was given to Rosella who, walking down the aisle, smelled it. Something went wrong, though: Rosella did not die and turned into a horrible-looking old woman. Desperate, she sought help from another witch in Benevento who reassured her by telling her that a kiss from her prince would break the spell. She returned to the palace but her prince did not recognize her. She was accused of stealing her wedding dress and kidnapping and exiled to a cave while her beloved set off in search of his Rosella. After three years Andrea sadly died of despair.

One day, after many years, the Austrian prince. Ulric, a hunter of the king, interrupted his silent banishment. He was so kind that she gave him a branch of butcher's broom to hang on his chest for good luck. During a hunting trip organized on the occasion of the King's 50th birthday, her beloved Andrew's father was about to be charged by an enraged boar, and Ulric protected him by losing his life. Rosella screamed in despair, everyone noticed her and blamed her for the incident, condemning her to death.

His last wish was to see Ulrich: stroking him, he pricked himself with the branch and a drop of his blood wet the mouth of the Austrian prince, who miraculously woke up.

Ulric asked for an explanation of what had happened and to be alone with Rosella: he instinctively decided to kiss her, a strong light blinded Ulric, and finally the curse was broken. Rosella had her happy ending by becoming again the young and beautiful girl she once was: the two got married and went on a long honeymoon that some say still lasts today. Love, despite everything, had managed to triumph.

Maria Còtena, the evil spirit who drags children into the wells of Alife

Also seen in the popular imagination as a link between light and darkness, between the realms of the living and the dead, wells have long been the most important elements of Caserta's urban fabric.

Many are the legends and characters related to the wells: in the Alife area, we remember. Maria Còtena. Mary grabs all the children who come out of the wells, squeezes them with her long clawed hands and drags them down with her.

Maria was a beautiful woman who was widowed too early. Her husband was selling the còtene, the chops, from which her nickname came. Maria had become very poor and often could not even provide for her son. One day she met a young man who had just arrived in town, and the two soon discovered that they were very attracted to each other. The young man, though, had come to town to get her away from her lord, and although he had real feelings for Mary, he used her to get information. Once he had conquered the city, he decided that he would take her in marriage, and so he did. However, when the invader revealed Mary's role to the people, she was accused of treason and her son was thrown into the castle well. Destroyed by grief, Mary decided to die by throwing herself into the same well. The young man ordered that the well should be filled with jewels for his beloved and then had it closed.

Since then, Mary's spirit has been said to roam the wells and dungeons of the city, threatening to kill anyone who tries to find the buried treasure and dragging with it any children who approach it.

The legend of the lake of Vairano

It is said that the plain of Vairano was once characterized by numerous villages and farms. Right where today stands the Lake Vairano, stood the largest farm in the area with a cranky old patriarch and an unhappy family.

The people of Vairano were very religious and particularly devoted to St. Anne's. Every year on July 26, all the villages were in celebration, but not the old man's farm.

One year, on the feast day of St. Anne, the wheat harvest was very abundant and forced the whole family to work nonstop. One of the young granddaughters suddenly stopped to nurse her child, and the old man began to whip her. The granddaughter told him that her little son would starve to death if she did not feed him, but he rshowed himself unconcerned about his death. Just then he was hit by a fireball from the sky and the farmhouse sank into a chasm with the whole family. From the chasm strangely then began to gush water: thus was born the lake and, every year, on the night of July 26, it seems that the cry of a newborn baby breaks into the silence of this little oasis.

Saints and devils in the Castle of Casaluce

In the municipality of Casaluce lies an imposing castle now worn and battered, but of indescribable charm. Surrounded by marshes, forests and swamps, it is thought to have been built by the earl Rainulfo for defensive purposes, although we are not aware of the historical period. In 1335 it was destroyed and totally abandoned, undergoing some restoration in the following years.

Apparently, the castle housed leaders, saints, and monks and is regarded as a kind of sacred treasure chest where negative energies would not be able to creep in. Legend has it that in the dungeon there is a precious treasure, probably of the Templars, guarded by a particular guardian: the Devil himself, who keeps it all to himself.

The haunted house on the outskirts of Raviscanina

Do you want to enter a real haunted house? A Raviscanina there is a mysterious house that hides old and eerie stories within its walls. It is an old but well-preserved dwelling hiding in a suburban lane: it is more than a hundred years old, a wild apple tree surrounds the entrance gates, and there is still a cistern with a stone washhouse that takes us back in time.

As of the 1960s, local stories and gossip varied: some told of a child still haunting the house after losing his life by falling down the stairs, others of a little girl who, lost in the woods, took refuge in the barn, dying of hunger and cold. Still others said that a cemetery stood on that land, and when the house was built, the dug-up dead unleashed their wrath.

So many strange incidents have occurred within its walls forcing tenants to flee: let's find out some of them together.

The newlyweds and the ghost violin

A woman in 1967 rented the house to move in after her marriage to her future husband. The two knew the stories about the house but were very skeptical, so they entered their new home filled with joy at the wedding. At the exact moment they were about to go to bed they heard an eerie sound of glass bottles shattering behind the bedroom door.

The groom got up to open it but found nothing and went back to sleep. The noise began again and the young man went to open the door again, but again nothing. The following days passed quietly, until the seventh day when the groom heard a violin playing a sweet melody. Thinking it was a surprise from his friends he took his bride by the hand and went out to the balcony, but they found no one.

Later, when the young husband left for Switzerland, his wife did not want to live there alone, so they cancelled the lease.

More stories from the house in Raviscanina

Other families lived here over the years and all abandoned it after a few months. Apparently, mysterious forces were unleashed on a middle-aged couple: every night the furniture doors would open and close by themselves, doors would slam, and windows would open wide.

Only silence has reigned here for years now, and the haunted house jealously guards its secrets, not allowing anyone to stay there.

The Legend of Corree Lake

Among Vairano and Marzano Appio lies an enchanted basin, the Lake Corree (or Koreas). Legend has it that there was a kingdom here ruled by a powerful king named Astianante, handsome as the sun, so much so that all women fell at his feet. Despite his outward beauty, the king was a cruel tyrant, haughty and unscrupulous.

One day, at nightfall, a royal caravan from the far East stopped on the lawn adjacent to his palace: it was the caravan of the princess betrothed to the king of Campiglia, a neighboring kingdom.

The cruel tyrant rushed out of the castle to meet the princess and was greeted by the Grand Vizier with great honors. He was escorted to all the quarters of the caravan, but not to where the princess rested, so, outraged, he ordered his soldiers to kill the crew and kidnap the princess.

Astianante, upon seeing the maiden was so enraptured by her that he decided to marry her and lock her up in a tower To hide her from the world. He made a tower, the "princess prison" in just two days with the help of giants, elves and other magical creatures he had enslaved. The structure had a single solid gold door engraved with "Cor Regis" to indicate that within it was kept the king's heart.

The search for the princess

After days of searching, the king of Campiglia went to Astianante begging him in the name of the gods to free his bride, but the ruler chased him away. The king of Campiglia then told him, "Sooner or later the gods will punish you for all your injustices!" but the haughty king laughed at him and began cursing the gods.

On the same day, a very strong earthquake occurred in the valley, swallowing up the tower and the whole kingdom, and nothing remained but a lake basin called Cor Regis, later to become Corree. Apparently, on spring full moon nights in the waters one can still see the faces of the king and princess and the riches of the lost kingdom.

The terrible procession of the dead

It is said that hundreds of years ago a little girl lost her beloved mother, so the little girl's godmother, in order to ease her grief, told her about a kind of spell: she told her to wipe her ear with the same handkerchief for an entire year; if she placed this handkerchief next to a candle on the night of November 2 reciting a formula (the exact words of which unfortunately have not reached us), she would be able to see her beloved mother again.

A year passed, the little girl did exactly what her godmother told her, but when she opened the window of her house while waiting for her mother, she was confronted with an entire procession of the dead and others hellish creatures. Upset the child became ill and during delirium caused by fever she told her father what had happened before she died.

The Dragon of Mondragone

The legends in the province of Caserta do not end here. We now move on to Mondragone, more specifically in the vicinity of the Mt. Petrino, on top of which stands the Rocca Montis Dragonis, o Dragon Rock, important archaeological site Of the area.

Climbing up to Mt. along a path with an elevation gain of about 400 meters, you will be able to reach boulders on which to climb to catch a glimpse of the Castle, overlooking Ischia and Capri until Vesuvius. This place with a breathtaking view is the protagonist of a curious legend, but before revealing it to you, let's talk a little bit of history.

Locals also call the fortress "Mons Draconis" or in dialect "Ru Castiegl," the castle. The fortress is of Norman era and it seems that the castle belonged to the Dragon family, who took refuge here to escape Saracen pirates; other stories, however, tell of a Lombard prince named Dragon and his daughter Rocca, who escaped the Castle Dragon's hunger.

Legend has it that a knight with golden-colored hair, while riding over the cursed land of the Rock of Mount Dragoon, met Rocca who told him about the Dragon family that had escaped from the townspeople. Every year they had to deliver a young noblewoman to the Dragon in exchange for protection. Apparently, the white dragon was a huge monster with three heads and tongues of fire, with a roar so powerful that it reverberated throughout the castle and shook the mountain.

The knight, merciless, decided to help the maiden free herself from the monster, scouted out the dragon, threw himself at it and cut off all three of its heads, which rolled down the mountain, creating some chasms. It is said that where the Dragon was killed it is still possible today to glimpse its heads and hear the rumblings of its heinous roar in the cavern below. What are you waiting for to climb the Rock too to hear its eerie wail?

The Legend of St. Bernand

In the Vairano area, specifically in theFerrara Abbey have stayed illustrious personalities and saints, in particular a local legend tells of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Apparently, the saint visited the abbey and cast out the evil one who was hiding in the convent wreaking havoc.

St. Bernard was a Cistercian monk and great religious leader of his time. One day, when the abbey had reached its peak, a new lay friar arrived: from that moment on, the monastery found no peace. The newcomer seemed a very learned but undisciplined person. He did not show up for ceremonies or participate in praise songs and "stirred up strife" among the friars, fueling gossip and envy.

When St. Bernard came to the abbey as a provveditore and learned what was happening, he immediately had a suspicion and had all the friars gather in the chapter house. During his speech, however, one of the friars, the very last one who was at the back of the hall, had not uncovered his head and twisted his face when he heard the name of Jesus.

Then Bernard approached him and asked him to uncover his head but the man would not: the saint understood that he was the devil And making the sign of the cross he invoked the Lord's help. The evil one began to run away, but St. Bernard threw grains of wheat at him, and one of them, as he chased it, grew out of proportion until it overwhelmed the devil and plunged him into the water of the Volturno River.

It seems that the path trodden by the devil is still visible since no more vegetation has grown in those spots.

The Zitielli fountain in Aliano

Did you think that with the legend of St. Bernard the stories of Caserta were over? Not yet!

Between the municipality of Aliano and Raviscanina, specifically at Fragnitiello, you will find the Zitielli Fountain. It is said that the baby Jesus was washed here: from that moment, every child who was believed to have been bewitched by the janare (dark female figures associated with the Benevento area) was brought here to be freed from the curse. The mothers knelt down reciting the Salve Regina to Our Lady of Sorrows, seven Our Father, seven Hail Mary and seven Glory to the Infant Jesus.

The cursed child was to be washed and his fingernails and toenails were to be cut off, which were then collected and placed in a cloth along with some hair, fava beans, and bread. If the cloth sank the baby was doomed to an untimely death, otherwise he would have a long and happy life.

This done, the mothers would take their child in their arms and walk from one side of the fountain to the other, saying "passo e strapasso e lu male re gliu figliu miu cca lu lassu," cipè "passo e ripasso, the evil of my child I leave here."

It seems that a snake appeared during this ritual and then disappeared shortly afterward.

It is said that originally it was not the baby's nails and hair that were thrown into the spring but the baby itself that would be saved only in case it floated.

The legend of Princess Fina

Roccamonfina has always retained a special charm thanks to several legends, among which one absolutely noteworthy is the one related to theQueen's Garden, a polygonal work on top of the Mount Frascara, consisting of trachyte blocks, a magmatic rock of various sizes. But what was the function of this construction?

The term vegetable garden could mean "military fence", or come from hortus indicating a sacred place. It also appears that the attribute Queen refers to the female deity Mephitis. Other scholars have found a tuffaceous stone Roman where the name Mifineis appears.

The origin of the work is subject to various interpretations: perhaps a temple to the goddess, or the fence was a military boundary and Mifineis could mean boundary stone, or a cora the Queen's Garden was probably a shrine later used as strong strategic.

Whatever its function really was, it seems that this place was the scene of a love legend. La princess by name Fina, with the unique grace and beauty of a goddess, was the granddaughter of the Roman emperor Philip the Arab and, when Decius ascended the throne, Philip took refuge in Roccamonfina With the whole family.

The Arab had appointed Decius as master of those lands in an attempt to quell the ascension to the throne of Tiberius Claudius Marius Pacazianus, but the soldiers of the usurper in order not to die designated Decius emperor in turn, and Philip was then mercilessly killed.

Nothing could faze the able and powerful leader except love. During his reign he met the beautiful princess Fina and, enraptured by her beauty at first sight, sought her out everywhere. It seems that Fina took refuge precisely in the Queen's Garden. The name of the city, in fact, is said to derive from that of the princess, more historically attributed to the original toponym of the Mount Holy Cross, called Mount Fino.

The legend of Sister Gertrude in Caserta, the ghost of Lincoln Avenue.

There have long been tales of a ghost roaming in Lincoln Avenue to Caserta. Many are the witnesses who tell of seeing it. This shadowy presence is the cause of many accidents.

According to a story very similar to that of Sister Gertrude in The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, one young novice many years ago was forced to take vows, forced to enter the convent as a non-first-born.

The real name of the young woman from Caserta is not known to us. It appears that she had become pregnant as a result of a relationship she had with a boy who never knew about the pregnancy. Locked up in a convent away from everyone, it was also impossible for her to tell anyone about what had happened. Until the fourth month, the young woman hid the pregnancy even from her fellow sisters, until her baby bump grew so large that it was imossible to hide it.

Having given birth to the child, he was adopted by peasants, but fell ill and died. He was later taken back to the convent to be buried. The mother buried him near a large tree right on Lincoln Avenue where she hung herself after a very short time. To this day the woman still wanders the street looking for thetree Where he buried his son, unfortunately. shot down to make way for the railroad line.

What are you waiting for? Visit Caserta and choose which, among the many mysterious and haunted places, to visit first.