The witches of Stazzano
In 1522 in the area of Stazzano three women named Agnesa Melina and Maria were condemned to the stake for witchcraft by the castellan of Stazzano who exercised temporal power in the bishopric of Tortona on behalf of the bishop" in the period between 1450 and 1550 they ended up at about 2% of the women of the Vescovado, a buffer state between Genoa and Milan governed by the bishop of Tortona, were burned at the stake.
This story is well described in the book Dancing with the Demon by the writer Maria Angela Damilano.
Those accused of witchcraft were women who we could define as herbalists ante litteram, probably heirs of a naturalistic knowledge similar to shamanism. Something that has its roots in the pre-Roman world and, in some cases, goes back to the first human settlements. On the other hand, many habits and customs of our areas are similar among the Alpine and Apennine mountain populations; some "magical" places have been identified, such as the towers of Sant'Alosio on the Tortona hills: «There are some cupellas, that is, those small circular basins dug into the ground which are also found in San Vito di Garbagna and are reminiscent of Celtic customs. Not far away, on what we call the Bric delle Streghe, since three women were burned alive in 1520 there was a pool very similar to those found in Val Trebbia, another site where human presence dates back to prehistory" or another magical place has been located near the «Sasi d'ori», oil stones found in a clearing between Garbagna and Carezzano, similar to menhirs and which legend has it were chosen for witches' sabbats.
The case of Garbagna is singular where the presence of some stones has been documented since 1300: such as the Olmo stone or «lapis hermiti». Perhaps legacies of Celtic-Ligurian pagan rites, adopted first by the Romans and then by the Christians, like the stone of Santa Varena in Villa del Foro. According to tradition, a woman, leaning on the boulder, would receive relief from back pain. Other places have evocative names such as the Devil's Hat in Gavi.
The headless ghost of the Novi Ligure tower
Tower of Novi Ligure
According to some testimonies, a ghostly headless knight wanders around the remains of the castle on full moon nights. The ghost, riding his white horse, would make a few laps around the tower and then disappear within its walls. Stories say that those who had the opportunity to sight the ghost described him as dressed in shiny metal armor, above which the phrase "Vi a cappella niger" was engraved. A phrase which literally means "man, move away from the goat" and which for some would refer to a story of blood, whose culprit would be the much feared Donna Orriga of Campofregoso. In fact, the favorite pastime of the tyrannical noblewoman of Novi was to recruit occasional lovers and then get rid of them once they were 'consumed', through decapitation, like a praying mantis. For others, however, the headless horseman would be a knight in the service of a powerful feudal lord, captured by the Tortona people and then died beheaded in a castle dungeon.
Whether it is a true story or a false myth, stories and testimonies agree that the presence today demands revenge for a terrible wrong suffered.
The Ghost of General Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
Novi Ligure was the scene of a famous battle between the French and the Austro-Hungarians on 15 August 1799. The French General Barthélemy Catherine Joubert (Pont-de-Vaux, 14 April 1769 – Novi Ligure, 15 August 1799) seriously wounded by the Austro-Russians in Novi Ligure by General Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov was taken to Palazzo Durazzo and died there. His body was taken to France but it is said that his restless spirit still wanders within the walls of the palace.
A dark story associated with Palazzo Durazzo occurred during its renovation works in May 2023 when a worker lost his life due to the fall of a sheet of glass which overwhelmed him, severing his femoral artery and killing him instantly, tragic fate or perhaps the general was annoyed by the renovation and the consequent energy change of his former home? the mystery remains.
Durazzo Palace
General Barthélemy Catherine Joubert
The Freemasonry of Novi Ligure
Alessandria in 1768 (Sincère Union), and in Casale in 1788 (La Candeur).
This Masonic legacy has been maintained over time both in Casale and Alessandria.
Of the first Novi Lodge some traces lead to the deposition of Captain Benjamin Obbel, of the Giulay regiment, arrested in Milan in 1756 as a freemason and, by his own declaration, initiated into the Order in 1745 in Novi Ligure in a Lodge held by high officials Germans and Hungarians.
After the birth of the Confiance (1810) and subsequently the Domenico Figini (1914), Novese Freemasonry lost, unlike Casale and Alessandria, any link between the Institution and the territory.
Some Brothers from the Novese area, with great passion and affection, believed that it could be useful for the good of our Institution to raise the pillars of a new Workshop in that area and reconstitute with the territory that bond that unites elected men and, through the internal improvement of individual followers, practice and have those principles practiced for the good and progress of humanity.
Hence the desire to found a new study and research lodge in the East of Novi Ligure. This new Workshop could acquire part of its ancient heritage while maintaining the name of Confiance. To this identifying name it will be necessary to combine a term that illustrates the aims of the new Temple, that is to form a nucleus of Universal Brotherhood which can develop, within the framework of Masonic principles, the comparative study of religions, history and philosophy. , science and Gnosticism, investigating the hidden powers of man and the laws of nature. In a single term: esotericism.
The castle of Piovera
Piovera Castle, built in the 14th century on the remains of an octagonal Templar church (under which an underground river flows) has passed through numerous dominations over the centuries; from the Viscontis of Milan to the Spaniards and the French, then from the Savoys to the Balbis of Genoa, to be finally purchased in 1967 by Count Niccolò Calvi di Bergolo, the current owner. Today the castle is not only the guardian of the history and memory of the territory, but has become home to the original artistic vision of the Count, who enriched many of the internal and external spaces with his abstract sculptures.
There are many testimonies that speak of presences inside the castle, some positive such as the red-haired lady and just as many negative, the so-called "zero" points, which fortunately are almost all outside the castle. According to some esotericists the castle stands above a point where two energy lines, also called Ley lines or synchronic lines, intersect
Various television programs have dealt with the mysteries linked to this castle, including the well-known Mediaset program Voyager.
Reneuzzi's ghost
In the heart of Val Borbera and more precisely in the now uninhabited former village of Reneuzzi, back in 1961, there was only one man among its inhabitants, Davide Bellomo. A story of love, betrayal and tragedy surrounds this character. Davide was in fact engaged to his cousin, Maria. However, the relationship between the two was not happy: it is said that Maria rejected Davide's advances. But the move that pushed the man over the edge was the discovery that Maria's family had decided to move to the valley.
Taken by desperation and madness, one morning Davide ambushed Maria and shot her with a revolver in an attempt to kill her, only grazing her. The young woman fled, but Davide tracked her down in a cabin where he succeeded in his atrocious intent. The man was found dead a few days later. From this tragic story, a legend was born. It is said that Davide's ghost has long tormented the inhabitants of nearby Ferrazza, Maria's town of origin, ordering them to leave the town.
Today, visiting Reneuzzi, you immerse yourself in an atmosphere suspended in time. The village lies abandoned and nature has now reconquered every corner. Upon entering the town, you are greeted by an ancient cemetery, a silent witness of past lives. Nearby, there are the remains of a church dating back to the 19th century and the ruins of modest homes, intent on remembering
Maria Franco (in a photo as a child) e Davide Bellomo
What remains of Reneuzzi Reneuzzi Cemetery
The Monk of Merella
Leaving the city in the Merella area of Novi Ligure, the presence of the ghost of a monk has been spotted several times near the Cascina Federica agricultural company which in the past was a former convent, which was transformed into a farm in the 1600s and expanded in the 19th century. from the ancient Negrotto Cambiaso family.
The mysteries of the Capanne di Marcarolo Park
About 20 km from Novi Ligure stands the splendid setting of the Capanne di Marcarolo Natural Park, a true green lung of the Alessandria province, rich in native species of flora and fauna, the beating heart of the natural park is Mount Tobbio (1092 m. )
Tobbio stands out for its great visibility (from the plain in front), due to its bare and particularly steep slopes. On the summit there is a small church built in 1897 and dedicated to Our Lady of Caravaggio and an emergency shelter owned by the Italian Alpine Club of Novi Ligure. From its top you can see both the Gulf of Genoa, just 18 km away as the crow flies, the hills of the Langa and Monferrato, vast portions of the Alps and, on days of exceptional visibility, Corsica.
During the ascent through the normal route to reach the top you may come across various particular places, drawings and altars dedicated to ancient deities, engravings;
During the solstice of 2013 the altar to Belenus was restored
Belenus proto-Celtic deity of light
continuing the journey towards the top along the normal route, another small altar dedicated to the horned god Cernunnos, Celtic deity of animals, nature and death, is visible.
Cernunnos
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along the route you can see drawings made with stones in homage to the spirits of the place, but the most iconic symbol is certainly the engraved stone found on a path outside the normal hiking routes
a few years ago, on the slopes of this mountain, two joined spirals made with rocks stuck into the ground were also visible
The municipality of Bosio belonging to the Capanne di Marcarolo natural park is often the subject of UFO sightings for which the Liguria UFO Research Center has carried out various investigations and investigations.
Bosio desightingl 23 /08/ 2008 Bosio sightingdel 23/08/2008
According to some esotericists and diviners, the Capanne di Marcarolo Park is crossed by the Lay line (natural energy line) of San Michele and more precisely in the area of the Della Lavagnina lakes, an area in which there are also some abandoned gold mines dating back to Roman times. .
One of the two lakes of Lavagnina
The park could really be a highly energetic place in which "peculiar" events have occurred over time due precisely to the high energy concentration of the place
The Ungumans of Lerma
In the municipality of Lerma, a picturesque town a few km from Novi Ligure, the legend of the Ungumans was born, anthropophagous monsters about 2 meters tall who are said to inhabit the Rocca di Lerma; the inhabitants of Lerma refer to them as Ungumans, creatures that, in appearance and behavior, resemble both humans and wild boars.
Legend has it that the Ungumans were born in the Middle Ages. The inhabitants of Lerma went to the top of the Rock to symbolically chase away their negative thoughts, throwing away their bad intentions among the distorted trees. These evil thoughts united, came to life and transformed into monstrous creatures.
But is it just a legend or is there some basis in truth? The story goes that a child mysteriously disappeared, and the townspeople suspected that the “Ungumans” had eaten him. In the 1990s, a girl claimed to have been attacked by a being with a boar's head while swimming in the Piota Torrent. This event shook the local community and fueled fears about the Ungumans.
La Rocca di Lerma
The Piota stream, site of the sighting
During a winter several years ago, strange footprints were found in the snow on the perimeter wall of the Rocca di Lerma
The writer Marco Marengo, a resident of Lerma, has well documented this legend in his book
At the moment there is no concrete evidence on this story, which remains only a fascinating legend dating back to the Middle Ages, even if the suggestive hypothesis that in the past the local inhabitants may have generated thought forms that manifest themselves in particular energetic and environmental circumstances is not of everything is impossible, however the mystery remains.
source: wikipedia
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