Mistress of the Poggio Catino Palazzo

Imagine waking up in your own baronial palazzo in the quiet town of Poggio Catino 45 km northeast of Rome. You are greeted each morning to panoramic views of bucolic hilltops and the warm sun melting your worries away. You have a steaming cappuccino in one hand (or a glass of vino in my dream sequence) and a good book (of course) in the other hand. No screaming kids. No obnoxious bosses. Just you and the sweet aroma of crocus flowers filling the air (and possibly a handsome naked serving boy named Fabio). Your world could not be more peaceful.

Then, you find a 16th century skeleton loitering in your basement. Named the “Poggio Catino Skeleton”, it was discovered in 1933 in a cell beneath the ruins of the tower by its owner, Vincenzo Biraghi. It is believed to be a woman and judging by the shackles around her wrists and ankles, her bent knee position, and her less than cheerful living quarters...she most likely bit it hard.

According to one legend, the woman was the wife of Geppo Colonna, the lord of Poggio Catino. Supposedly, Miss Colonna had an illicit affair with another nobleman of Poggio Catino. As they say in Italy...idea stupida! Her jealous husband discovered the dalliance and locked her up in an underground cell where she most likely starved to death.

You can read more about the Poggio Catino Skeleton and see several other creepy artifacts at the Museo Criminologico.