Italy Made Easy Podcast
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Le leggende più magiche e misteriose d'Italia - Parte 2
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What are the Italian myths?

Italy is famous for its art and history, but every ancient city also hides a world of shadows. From cursed palaces in Venice to tricking the Devil in Tuscany, the “Bel Paese” is a land where legends are as thick as the morning fog.

Italy's most amazing <br> magical & mysterious myths (Part 2) -

Why is it said that there is a cursed palace in Venice?

Venice may be romantic, but it is also home to one of the most feared buildings in the world: Ca' Dario. This beautiful marble palace on the Grand Canal is said to be cursed. Since the late 1400s, almost every owner has met a tragic end – suicide, brutal murder, or mysterious illness. Locals stay far away, convinced that the house carries a 500-year-old hex. Not far away, in the Biennale Gardens, a more “active” ghost once made headlines. In the 1920s, a spirit in a red shirt (the uniform of Garibaldi’s soldiers) began tripping and shoving passersby. After some research, the Venetians realized it was the spirit of a soldier who had sworn to stay by his commander, Giuseppe Garibaldi, even in death. To calm the ghost, they built a second statue of the soldier right behind Garibaldi’s monument. The pranks stopped immediately.

Are there any legends associated with Tuscany?

In the town of Lucca, you’ll find the Ponte della Maddalena, famously known as the Devil’s Bridge. Legend has it that a medieval mason, unable to finish the bridge on his own, made a deal with the Devil. The Devil promised to finish the bridge in one night in exchange for the soul of the first living being to cross it. The mason agreed but outsmarted the Devil at dawn. He sent a dog across the bridge first! The Devil, furious at being tricked out of a human soul, disappeared, leaving the bridge behind.

Why is Naples superstitious?

In Naples, superstition is a way of life. Most people carry a “cornetto rosso“ (a red horn charm) to ward off the evil eye. You’ll need it if you encounter La Janara, a terrifying witch who roams the night. Legend says if you catch her by the hair and answer her questions correctly, you can neutralize her. If you prefer a friendlier spirit, look for La Bella ‘Mbriana. She is a good spirit who protects the home. She is shy and usually only appears as a quick shadow or in the form of a gecko, an animal Neapolitans consider very lucky.

Does Rome have any secrets?

Rome, the Eternal City, is packed with mysteries.

  • The Alchemical Door: In Piazza Vittorio, a mysterious stone door remains from a 17th-century villa. It is covered in undeciphered symbols. Legend says an alchemist once walked through it and vanished, leaving behind the “key” to turning lead into gold – if you can read the code.
  • The Devil’s Breeze: In Piazza del Gesù, there is a constant, icy wind. They say Lucifer once left the wind there while he tried to destroy a nearby church, but he fled so quickly at dawn that he forgot to take the breeze with him.
  • The Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità): This famous stone face was once used to catch liars. If you put your hand in its mouth and told a lie, the mouth would bite it off! (In reality, a hidden executioner in the Middle Ages would often do the job).

The most famous story involving the Mouth of Truth concerns a clever woman accused of cheating. She had her lover pretend to be a “madman” who kissed her in the street. When she put her hand in the stone mouth, she swore she had never been kissed by any man except her husband – and that crazy man she just met. Since she was technically telling the truth, the stone mouth let her go, and she successfully hid her secret!