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Carini (ancient Hykkara) is a commune in the province of Palermo that offers an apprehensive past that has recurrently attracted wonderers over time. The commune appears on a 170 meters above the sea level hill neighboring mountains such as Mount Pecorano, Montagna Longa, Mount Cerasia, Saraceno, The Pizzi and Colubrino that slowly downgrade towards the sea.

The 33 087 inhabitants enjoy this beautiful sea-mountain hybrid that can only be a delight to those lucky enough to feel it and daily waking up surrounded by it. The area shelters impressive monuments: Church of San Vicenzo, the Piazza del Duomo with its inner fountain, Church of San Vito, Church Madre, the Oratorio della Compagnia del Santissimo Sacramento and the Church of Agonizzanti. Amongst all architectural beauties that the present holds for visitors there is a certain one that overwhelms through tragic beauty. Castello di Carini is marked by past events that built a well-deserved autonomy of the edifice.

In 1970, scholars initiated a research campaign aimed at revealing the truth on the case of the Baroness of Carinia. Legend holds that the Baroness, Laura Lanza, was killed by her own father due to her infringement of the marital status. Her crime was her bigamy, as she was the lover of Lodovico Vernagallo. Laura and Lodovico’s end stand inside a frame of murder as she was murdered by her father while Lodovico was the victim of her husband.

The scene of the murder is worthy of cinematographic products. One night, Caesare, father of Laura, arrived at Carini Castle and encountered the afflicted son-in-law. They ordered troops to surround the castle this way preventing the culprits’ escape. They were stabbed right in that night, in the castle. The main source is the confession of the husband who agreed on telling the truth only several weeks after the event. Legends were developed over the years by locals who maintained the story alive. The event appealed to the theatre scene and several writers, this way enlarging the local artistic offer.

What the castle offers nowadays is worthy of all the fame. The ground floor hosts the Salone delle Derrate (Provisions Room) marked by two beautiful stone arches (15th century) and a stout pillar that altogether presently create the perfect interior for the library. The Salone delle Feste (Festivity Room) from the 15th century holds a coffered wooden ceiling that bears Catalan Gothic features transposed into characteristic stalactite decorative patterns consoles that highlight the two-light window which adorns the quadrangular tower.

Passion and jealousy have always made an indestructible team, but when royal blood is involved, the stories become much more intriguing. The story of the Castello Di Carini is only one exemplification of what this mixture can turn into. Literature is filled with passionate crimes and forbidden love based on plots that succeed in living through ages, becoming more and more attractive.