Wedding Italy - Viagginello Castle

| Viagginello Castle | Ceremonies & Receptions | Price List |

Inside of Castle The Castle Story Feature List

Viagginello Castle, also called the Castle of The Princes, is set in the ancient town of Viagginello which is in Italy's Pollino National Park. The park has high mountains and is home to one of Italy's last wolf packs. It is the perfect wedding location for nature and outdoor people. It is a 75 minute drive through the Pollino Park to the stunning and unspoiled Coast of Maratea.

Outside of Castle

The Castle - Idyllic Castle Weddings in Italy

Inside The Castle

The Lobby

The Castle's Story

In his book, La Lucania nel Mondo, published way back in 1925, Francesco Santoro describes Viggianello Castle as being “...thousands of years old, mysterious and greyed by tempest, perched high on a rocky peak, overlooking and dominating the old medieval village below where a huddle of blackish houses with roofs of dark red, of light red, all sorts of red, clings precariously to the slopes of the hillside.”

“All around, enormous agaves and the intense smell of wild broom which, at Viggianello, grows nigh everywhere: on the mountainsides, on the river banks, down on the plains, by the streams..”

During the XIV century, the castle was the summer residence and hunting lodge of the San

Severino family – the Princes of Bisignano.

Today, whilst still maintaining intact its old appeal and architectonic characteristics, the castle has been lovingly restored and transformed into a modern tourist facility and congress centre, which offers the discerning traveller a relaxing sojourn in the immense quiet of the majestic Pollino mountains - with their ever-changing palette of colours: the snowy whiteness of the peaks in winter, the intense green of the verdant forests in summer, the old kaleidoscope villages.

The local cuisine, which is both traditional and “creative”, proposes such old fashioned delights as naturally leavened bread baked in a wood-fired oven, local salami, home made pasta...

An air of refined hospitality reigns in the old Castle manor, where everything hints of the past and mystery: an old well hewn deep into the rock, secret passages, the enormous old, sculptured stone fireplace - the work of some unknown local artist, antique parchments – with some of the oldest volumes in the library dating back to the XVI century...

According to legend, when the village of Viggianello was being built, no bronze was available with which to make church bells, but whilst rummaging through the vaults and cellars of the castle, the villagers came upon a strange bronze “iron maiden” in which Ardenza, a princess, who refused to betray her loved one, had been enclosed alive. She was said to have been was singing joyfully when she was entombed, but her song became a lament and finally, moans of agony as she died a slow, lingering death.

The villagers decided to fuse the bronze sarcophagus and used it to make their church bells. When, however, the bells chimed for the first time, instead of pealing, the sound of Princess Ardenza singing joyfully, was heard, followed by her laments and moans - her voice was impressed in the metal and, unable to escape, her spirit had remained a prisoner inside that terrible casket over the centuries.

Now, once a year, on the anniversary of Ardenza’s death, the bells chime out all by themselves, but only the pure at heart are able to hear them - an invitation to all true lovers to lean out from the castle ramparts and listen to the song of the spirits...

Bedrooms and suites are located on the upper floors with views over the gardens where the scent of broom, lavender and citronella dominates...

A stay in the Prince of San Severino Castle in Viggianello is a sojourn in the past, in legend and mystery...

It is said that the future possess an ancient heart: Viggianello, the place where memories are cultivated.

Feature List

Features

Comments

Type of Dwelling Restored castle

Maximum Number of People 35 - note: 200 yards away is a inn with 19 rooms.

Number of Guest Bedrooms 13 bedrooms all with bathroom

Restaurant Yes

Courtyards 1

Types of Views Mountains and ancient Hill-town

Town Location Viaggianello

Swimming Pool No

Fireplaces Yes

Quality of Decor Good

Historical Significance Included in the Italian National Building Registry

Breakfast Included

Is Car Required? Yes - it's a must

Central Heating Yes

Air Conditioning Yes

Television In each room

Telephone yes

Other Features of Note
Turret terrace