The Marchioness of Serristori didn’t want to leave her Palace

Benedetta is a grand lady and a dear friend of mine who lives in Florence. Her grandmother, the Marchioness of Serristori, was one of the most important figures in Florentine society.

The Marchioness owned a splendid palace which was filled with works of art. She loved her home and devoted all her time and energy to looking after it and embellishing it. The palace was her whole life.

One day, the Marchioness died. Her heirs, including Benedetta, decided to sell the palace as it was too much of a financial burden to maintain. But before the art collections it contained were dispersed, they decided to record them for posterity.

They hired a renowned photographer to capture and immortalise the palace’s rooms as they had been during the Marchioness’s life. For several days, the photographer worked alone in the palace, now uninhabited.

When he developed his photos, he saw one which made him shiver with surprise. In the palace entrance hall, there was a large mirror with a richly-decorated frame. The photographer had taken a shot in which it was clearly visible. As he watched the photo appear in the developing bath, he could quite clearly make out the image of a woman who astonishingly resembled the deceased Marchioness.

She had obviously not wanted to leave her palace, and so continued to inhabit the mirror.


by  Prince Michael of Greece