San Brancato

Who could resist visiting a town known as the “town of misfortune”; Chillu Paese, (That Town,) in the local dialect as saying its name is believed to bring bad luck.
The curse on Colobraro is as old as the place itself; but it wasn’t until the 20th century that the evil was fully awakened, thanks to a lawyer and a witch. The lawyer was proud never to have lost a case. In the middle of one case he rashly proclaimed that if he told a lie to the court the rooms chandelier would come crashing down. Of course, it did, but he still won claiming the opposing side had resorted to witchcraft as they had no better arguments.
The townspeople and those from neighbouring villages began to believe that some of That Town’s women were actually witches who practiced dark magic. In the 1950s, people especially feared La Cattre, a wrinkled elderly woman many claimed was a sorceress. Anthropologists then began visiting the town to investigate its mysteries, but according to local lore they, too, soon fell victim to freak accidents and illnesses.
Another legend concerns the remains of the Norman fortress of which only a few stone walls survive. It is inhabited by a mischevous sprite, being the soul of an unbabtised child. Wearing a red cloak with a hood it plays tricks on the unwary but will grant any wish if you can catch hold of its hood.
This particular tale is very old and is often fused with the mythology of the brigands for which the region is famous. In this version, the brigands, who were welcomed and sustained by the ordinary folk as a gesture of defiance to uncaring authority, buried enormous quantities of plunder around the countryside. And forgot where it was hid. The sprite know though and if you catch one by the hood it will lead you to the treasure. However, you must not let go of its hood or it will run away and laugh at you, revealing nothing.Read more