VENICE is a city full of special and mysterious places, centuries-old traditions and legends. Lanes and squares hide mysteries, curiosities, intrigues and passions of the Serenissima. Below you will find a list of these places.
The Piazzetta San Marco
The Piazzetta, overlooking the San Marco basin, provides a beautiful view of the lagoon. The two columns, coming from the east, are the entrance to the square, respectively, in honour of the first patron saint of Venice, Saint Theodore, and the patron saint Marco, who became saint after the legendary theft of his body. Originally, it is said that there were three columns, but in the transhipment from Constantinople one of the column sank without being ever found.
San Marco
Around 1507, the baker Piero Tasca found a man stabbed to death on a street and he was charged with that murder. After cruel tortures designed to make him confess, he was executed in front of the south side of the Basilica, just before his innocence was discovered. Since then, two red candles are lit every night between two arches of the Basilica in front of the point where there was the gallows, as perennial excuses of the city to the innocent victim.
The Clock Tower
It is said that the eyes of the creator of the mechanism of the watches facing St. Mark's Square were plucked out, so that he could no longer repeat the same wonders for rival powers.
Palazzo Ducale
Looking at the columns of the first gallery of the Palazzo Ducale, we can see two columns of different colour, where, according to tradition, the death sentences were read. However, always between the columns, it was offered the last hope: on the side of the building facing the sea there is a column that still appears with the basement consumed. Anyone able to whirl around the column without falling from the basement would be pardoned. Who wants to try?
************************************************************************************************************
MONTE FORATO is a mountain of the Apuan Alps, in the Province of Lucca. A special feature of the mountain is that it has two peaks of similar height and size, the highest of which reaches 1230 meters above sea level, while the second, to the north, has an elevation of 1204 meters and a cross on top. The main feature of this mountain, from which it takes its name, is a natural arch of considerable size between the two peaks. The natural arch was formed by the erosion of wind and water on the limestone of the Monte Forato; it has a span of 32 meters and a maximum height of 25 m. The thickness of the rock which forms the arch is approximately 8 meters and the height is about 12 meters. It is one of the largest natural arches in Italy and in some days of the year you can see the sun rise through the arch.
THE LEGEND
In the hollow of a tree in the Apuan Alps, there lived a monk named Pellegrino. All day he prayed and did penance. The Devil, upset by his presence, got angry every time he sang hymns, or when he would reel off the rosary and especially when he built huge crosses who would go to raise here and there to the mountain. The Devil wanted to send away Pellegrino from those lands. First he tried to scare him turning into a fearsome dragon, with slimy scales and flaming nostrils. The saint didn’t move at the sight of this horrible creature. Then he tried to tempt him transforming into a charming girl. The saint didn’t move at the sight of this marvelous creature. The Devil lost his patience and decided to appear in person with all his terrible appearance. When he saw Pellegrino, he gave him a large slap that made him turn over for three times, before falling to the ground. The Lord of the Underworld laughed arrogant by the satisfaction of having given a sound lesson to the poor hermit. After a while, Pellegrino got up with difficulty, and though skinny and helpless, immediately returned a loud and resounding slap to the devil. Such was the power used that the Devil flew over the Serchio Valley and slammed his head against the Panie. He rolled downstream and ended up in the sea, between Viareggio and Versilia. In the exact point crossed by the Devil, there is a mountain of the Apuan Alps that brings a large opening at the top. The slap of San Pellegrino gave rise to Monte Forato.
Drawing by Samuele S. - 3rd class - Strettoia
************************************************************************************************************
THE GIRL’S ISLAND
The little island called “Girl’s Island”, is an isolated rock which is located west of the Pali Tower, about 100 meters from the beach of Salve, on the coast of Salento, in Puglia, a region in the south of Italy.
A legend tells that during one of the raids by Saracen pirates along the coasts of Salento, some farms located in the territory of Salve were plundered. After seizing a large haul of food supplies, the Saracens captured the daughter of an owner of a farm, with the intent to bring her to Africa and sell her as a slave. The girl opposed herself by every means to pirates, trying several times to escape. Despite the suffered violences, the girl refused to renounce her Christian faith, even if this would have saved her life. She was killed and thrown into the sea. A few days later, her body was found by some fishermen on an island, covered with a layer of sand. From that moment the rock was called “The Girl’s Island".
Drawing by Martina G. - 5th class - Tonfano Drawing by Luna B. - 5th class Tonfano
************************************************************************************************************