Costigliole d'Asti - Burio Castle

Burio Castle, situated on a hill south of Costigliole, dominates the valleys of Nice and Tinella rivers. It’s the last remained among the ancient castles existing in Costigliole, survived to the wear of time and to the wars; it was built in the High Middle Ages, with addition of some portions in successive epochs. It takes its name from Euburias, a word that indicated the ancient area inhabited by the Euburiati, an old Ligurian family. The castle has a drawbridge, probably in the same style and period as that of the Sforza Castle in Milan, and two towers, although originally there were three.

Many noble families succeeded to the lordship of Burio village, the last of which was that of the Counts Lanzavecchia. Residents of the castle for centuries, the Lanzavecchia family continued living there until the twentieth century, giving birth to illustrious men who distinguished themselves especially in the military field. In 1617, during the war between French and Spanish for the succession in the dominion of Monferrato area, the commander of the Spanish troops, before leaving the village, left a company of Tyroleans to guard the castle of Burio. The inhabitants, opposed to that intrusion, drove the garrison out of the castle after two days of attack.

According to tradition, the castle of Burio was joined to that of Loreto by an underpass, strategic in time of war, of which mention is made also in an ancient legend.

The legend of Burio Castle dates back to the 10th century, when the Saracens had occupied much of Southern Europe. Once occupied and destroyed the city of Alba, a group of cruel spoilers arrived at the half-ruined castle. The castellan, at that time old and defenseless, gathered his few men inside one of the towers, while with his servant he went to seek help at the nearby castle of Loreto. The castellan then entered the underground gallery with a lantern and a crucifix, which was given to him time before by a man returned from the Holy Land, with the promise that it would have helped him in case of danger. Seeing the Saracens closer, he cried desperately asking that at least the devil would take them away and immediately a snake appeared, from a crack in the ground. The devil offered his help to the castellan asking for his soul in return, but the old man aware of belonging only to God ordered him to disappear. That invective managed to bring the monster back underground, causing a shock that caused the tunnel to collapse and buried all the Saracens. The castellan and his men got saved, as well as the ancient Burio Castle.