A woman whose family inherited a castle, owned by her ancestors for 28 generations, is now sharing her life in this medieval mansion that boasts 18 bedrooms and nine centuries of rich Italian history.
Ludovica Sannazzaro, 21, was born in Rome, Italy, but grew up in the small municipality of Giarole in the north of the country. She moved there with her parents, Giuseppe and Letizia Sannazzaro, when they took over Castello Sannazzaro, a 32,290-square-foot castle with 45 rooms. The ancient fortress was built by four knights of the Sannazzaro family in 1163 after they earned war merits from Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I.
“It was changed a little bit in the 1800s, and one of the towers that were there in medieval times fell down,” Ms. Sannazzaro told The Epoch Times. “I think the inside of the castle was renovated in 1854. ... It was passed down [to] every generation until us.”
Surrounded by History
When Ms. Sannazzaro was 5 years old she moved to the castle.
“My dad inherited it in the 1980s. ... it took him about 20 years to decide to actually move into the castle for good. That happened in 2006,” she said. “We have a wing of the castle where we live: my bedroom, my parents’ bedroom, our sitting room, our bathroom, our kitchen. But it’s very, very rare that a day goes by without going everywhere else.”
Spending most of her childhood growing up in the castle, she never found it unusual and believed most people lived that way.
However, she later realized that wasn’t the case.
The castle boasts 18 bedrooms in total as well as nine bathrooms, a ballroom, numerous sitting rooms, a kitchen and dining room, family quarters, a bed-and-breakfast for paying guests, dungeons, stables, a church, and a 269,100-square-foot garden where they grow corn, soy, and rice.
The castle interior has a wealth of furniture, paintings, and documents dating from the 1200s to the 1700s and a family history archive, which is her father’s pride and joy.
When she was younger, she'd enjoy spending time with her friends in the castle.
“We spent a lot of days just creating stories and pretending to be someone else like princes and princesses, knights and soldiers,” she said.
Living in the castle helped bring out her curious nature.
“I’m a very curious person and living in a castle with such a big history behind it, both because of the house and because of my family as well, I think that really shaped my curiosity,” Ms. Sannazzaro said. “Wanting to go everywhere in the house and just opening every closet, every drawer, because I wanted to see what was inside, surrounded by history every single day of my life.”
It’s not surprising that Ms. Sannazzaro has myriad favorite spots in her fairytale home, but by far the most curious is the music room, a small sitting room filled with artifacts. She feels it may be the most underrated room in the house.
“There’s this old piano from the 1800s,” she said. “There’s old table games, which is crazy; we found them, like, a year ago. Never saw them before. There’s part of the old collection of books, then there’s the collection of hats, and under it’s filled with pictures and paintings and photos. There’s all these little gadgets from the war.”
Not Always a Fairytale
However, living in the castle is not a fairytale, and the reality can be far from what you might expect: The castle is filled with technical difficulties, poor heating, and “wonky Wi-Fi.” It’s also hard to keep track of personal belongings.
“If you lose something, you lose it. It’s done. It’s gone. You’re not going to find it again!” Ms. Sannazzaro said. “It’s not for lazy people, that’s something I say all the time. If you’re lazy, you can’t live in a castle because you’re going to have to walk and walk and walk just to go from your bedroom to the kitchen. It’s like a marathon every day.”
Sharing the Magic
The 21-year-old has “no specific routine” at the castle and shares that every day is different, depending on the number of overnight guests and tour attendees—including the occasional film crew. Perhaps the most frequent videographer of all is Ms. Sannazzaro herself.
Her followers especially love her extravagant gowns that are based on historical designs. Some are handmade by her mother from fabric found in the castle, some were gifted, and others were thrifted. It gives the 21-year-old great joy to share her home’s unique history with others.
“I really love the moment when someone new comes, and I get to give them the tour of the castle,” she said. “[M]ost of my friends come to the castle quite often. We organize a lot of parties here, so it becomes a second home for them as well. ... I just want to share the beauty of the castle, I think it would be quite sad to keep it just for me.”
Ms. Sannazzaro, her parents, and her older brother also respect an annual tradition that has been celebrated since the 1600s on the first weekend of October—a chance for the extended family to enjoy the castle and its significant history. They gather for a ceremony at the church on site before a garden party, where her mother’s delicious Italian food is served, and where the kids can play dress-up in clothes from the ancient past.
As for the future of the castle, Ms. Sannazzaro feels “very thankful” yet “super scared” to inherit Castello Sannazzaro. She hopes she will make a “good team” with her brother, whose financial expertise complements her organization and artistic eye. In the meantime, she hopes her happy home inspires others to see their own lives through a new lens.
Below is a gallery of pictures showing the interiors and exteriors of the castle:
