Duino Castle, lies in the coastal village of the same name, north of the city of Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Italy.
It was built during the 14th century on the orders of the Waldsee family on the ruins of a Roman military outpost, called Castellum Pucinum.
In the 15th century the castle was nearly completely destroyed by the Turks. In 1483 its owner Ramberto III of Waldsee died and the castle passed to the House of Austria. After having fallen into Venetian hands the castle was reconquered in 1508 by the Emperor Maximillian who donated it to Giovanni Hofer. The square keep was built in the 16th century. In the 17th century the castle went to the princely Von Thurn und Taxis family whose descendants still own and reside in the castle.
From the 17th up until the 20th century this family played host to a lot of very renowned guests in their castle; Johann Strauss and Franz Liszt, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi), the Habsburg Archduke Maximillian and his bride Charlotte of Belgium, the Counts of Chambord, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Mark Twain, Rainer Maria Rilke and more recently the British Prince Charles.
During World War II the castle was used by the Germans who, in 1943, contructed a bunker in the rocks next to the castle to defend the nearby naval base of Sistiana to a possible Allied attack. After the war the British used the bunker as a fuel store.
Like other ancient castles, Duino too had its own legend. In our case it is the legend about the White Lady. At one time a knight lived at Duino fort. He was a very nasty man, who disdained his consort, because she was very graceful and virtuous. His dislike for her turned into hatred, and one evening he attracted her to a rock above the sea, so that he could descend her into the depth. Horrified the chatelaine looked toward the sky, and tried to cry out, but something hindered her to express her horror and she remained petrified in her great pain. Since then, towards midnight, the White Lady gets up from the cliffs and begins to wander about in the castle's rooms, until she finds the cradle, in which once upon a time her son slept. There, she remains in silence until daybreak. Then, she returns to the rock, where the pain transforms her anew into the stone.The rock called White Lady is to be found under the ancient Duino castle, which was erected on a rocky hill somewhat lower in respect to the present-day castle. Only the ruins remained from the castle. Because of its whiteness, this rock is called Dama Bianca and when the fishermen are active in the Gulf of Trieste, it serves them as an orientation sign, when an unexpected tempest surprises them at sea.
It was built during the 14th century on the orders of the Waldsee family on the ruins of a Roman military outpost, called Castellum Pucinum.
In the 15th century the castle was nearly completely destroyed by the Turks. In 1483 its owner Ramberto III of Waldsee died and the castle passed to the House of Austria. After having fallen into Venetian hands the castle was reconquered in 1508 by the Emperor Maximillian who donated it to Giovanni Hofer. The square keep was built in the 16th century. In the 17th century the castle went to the princely Von Thurn und Taxis family whose descendants still own and reside in the castle.
From the 17th up until the 20th century this family played host to a lot of very renowned guests in their castle; Johann Strauss and Franz Liszt, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sissi), the Habsburg Archduke Maximillian and his bride Charlotte of Belgium, the Counts of Chambord, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, Mark Twain, Rainer Maria Rilke and more recently the British Prince Charles.
During World War II the castle was used by the Germans who, in 1943, contructed a bunker in the rocks next to the castle to defend the nearby naval base of Sistiana to a possible Allied attack. After the war the British used the bunker as a fuel store.
Like other ancient castles, Duino too had its own legend. In our case it is the legend about the White Lady. At one time a knight lived at Duino fort. He was a very nasty man, who disdained his consort, because she was very graceful and virtuous. His dislike for her turned into hatred, and one evening he attracted her to a rock above the sea, so that he could descend her into the depth. Horrified the chatelaine looked toward the sky, and tried to cry out, but something hindered her to express her horror and she remained petrified in her great pain. Since then, towards midnight, the White Lady gets up from the cliffs and begins to wander about in the castle's rooms, until she finds the cradle, in which once upon a time her son slept. There, she remains in silence until daybreak. Then, she returns to the rock, where the pain transforms her anew into the stone.The rock called White Lady is to be found under the ancient Duino castle, which was erected on a rocky hill somewhat lower in respect to the present-day castle. Only the ruins remained from the castle. Because of its whiteness, this rock is called Dama Bianca and when the fishermen are active in the Gulf of Trieste, it serves them as an orientation sign, when an unexpected tempest surprises them at sea.
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