Castello di Fumone

Castello di Fumone was constructed in the 10th century as a crucial military fortress guarding the northern entrance to the Sacco Valley and the southern approaches to Rome. Its strategic position at 800 meters above sea level allowed watchmen to send smoke signals ('fumone' from 'fumo', meaning smoke) to Rome and neighboring castles to warn of approaching enemy armies. The local saying arose: 'When Fumone smokes, the whole countryside trembles.'

In the 12th century, Pope Gregory IX transformed Fumone into a principal papal fortress and prison for high-profile political enemies of the Holy See. Its most famous prisoner was Pope Celestine V (Pietro da Morrone), who abdicated the papacy in 1294. Fearing a schism, his successor Pope Boniface VIII imprisoned Celestine V in a tiny windowless cell inside Fumone Castle. Celestine V died in his cell on May 19, 1296, under mysterious circumstances, with legends asserting he was murdered on Boniface VIII's orders.

In the 16th century, Pope Sixtus V sold the castle to the noble Longhi family, who transformed the medieval prison fortress into an aristocratic residence while preserving Celestine V's cell as a sacred chapel. In the 19th century, tragedy struck the family when young Marquis Francesco Longhi died suddenly under suspicious circumstances at the age of three. His devastated mother, Duchess Emilia Caetani Longhi, commissioned embalmers to preserve his body in a glass case inside the castle, where it remains on display today.

Castello di Fumone is steeped in centuries of dark papal history, aristocratic tragedy, and supernatural lore.

The most tragic legend concerns young Marquis Francesco Longhi, who died in 1851 at the age of three. According to castle lore, Francesco was the only male heir among seven sisters. In a desperate bid to secure the family inheritance for themselves, his envious sisters allegedly poisoned his food gradually with ground glass. Following his agonizing death, his grief-stricken mother refused to allow him to be buried. She commissioned a physician to embalm his body and had all family portraits repainted to depict her wearing black mourning veils. Legend holds that the spirit of Duchess Emilia Caetani Longhi returns to the castle every night, tenderly weeping at the side of her son's glass case.

Another famous legend surrounds the death of Pope Celestine V. Monastic tradition holds that a glowing white cross appeared hovering in the air outside Celestine's prison cell door at the exact moment of his death in 1296. Visitors and pilgrims believe his holy spirit continues to bless the castle, counterbalancing the tragic, darker presences that linger within the noble apartments. Local folklore also speaks of the 'Dungeon of the Antipopes,' where two 12th-century antipopes were held captive and whose ghostly whispers still echo through the lower foundations, warning intruders of papal judgment.

Visitors, castle guides, and members of the Longhi family who still maintain the residence report numerous ghostly encounters and inexplicable occurrences throughout the property.

The most common report involves the sound of a woman weeping and mournful lullabies echoing through the noble apartments late at night, attributed to the spirit of Duchess Emilia. Multiple guests have reported seeing the apparition of a woman dressed in 19th-century black mourning attire walking near the glass case containing Francesco Longhi's mummified body before dissolving into thin air.

In the subterranean dungeons and near Celestine V's prison cell, visitors describe feeling intense chills, sudden pressure on their chest, and hearing soft Latin prayers or heavy chains dragging across the stone floor. Items in the private apartments occasionally shift positions overnight without human intervention, and electromagnetic field meters register unexplained spikes near the mummified child's glass case during guided evening tours, baffling researchers and visitors alike.

Castello di Fumone is built of massive local limestone, featuring thick curtain walls, round watchtowers, and a central courtyard. It is famous for housing the highest roof garden in Europe (hanging gardens) at over 800 meters elevation, offering panoramic views of the Sacco Valley.

The interior includes noble reception halls furnished with 17th-century antiques, the preserved cell-chapel of Pope Celestine V, the private archive, and the glass display cabinet containing the mummified remains of Marquis Francesco Longhi. An arched stone passage connects the inner courtyard to the hanging garden terraces, providing a fortress layout that seamlessly combines medieval defense with Renaissance elegance.

Castello di Fumone is open daily to the public for guided historical tours. The castle is situated in the hill town of Fumone, accessible by car or regional bus from Frosinone or Anagni.

Tours include access to the noble apartments, Celestine V's prison cell, the hanging roof gardens, and the display containing the mummified child. Photography is permitted in designated areas. The tour is educational and family-friendly, though parental discretion is advised regarding the mummified child exhibit. Visitors are strongly advised to wear comfortable walking shoes for navigating historical stone steps, cobblestone corridors, and elevated terraces during their guided visit.

Castello di Fumone's international reputation as a haunted landmark stems from its dramatic dual history: the tragic papal imprisonment of Celestine V and the haunting 19th-century mummification of young Francesco Longhi. The preservation of both the prison cell and the child's glass case creates an unforgettable dark tourism experience that draws historians, pilgrims, and ghost hunters from around the world.