If you are planning to holiday in the Volterra area of Tuscany then you have the chance to learn all about the legendary and gruesome trial of a woman called Elena di Travale who was accused of witchcraft and subjected to horrific torture in June 1423! Thousands of women suffered the brutal repercussions of being accused of witchcraft by a then paranoid European population who believed anything out of the norm was the work of the devil and his co-conspirators!
There is a great selection of fantastic holiday villas with pool nearby Volterra where you can stay and learn all about this intriguing legend and experience all the delights the area has to offer!
Elena came from the small medieval village of Travale in the Val di Cecina where a great deal of geothermal activity takes place. Thick vapour gases are often seen rising in the air through cracks in the earth because of the volcanic activity going on beneath the tectonic plate here. But back then, people feared it was the work of witches who gathered in the area to practice dark magic.
There is a great selection of fantastic holiday villas with pool nearby Volterra where you can stay and learn all about this intriguing legend and experience all the delights the area has to offer!
Elena came from the small medieval village of Travale in the Val di Cecina where a great deal of geothermal activity takes place. Thick vapour gases are often seen rising in the air through cracks in the earth because of the volcanic activity going on beneath the tectonic plate here. But back then, people feared it was the work of witches who gathered in the area to practice dark magic.
Poor Elena was singled out from the crowd and falsely accused of being involved in these supposed activities and was brought to the hilltop town of Volterra for inspection before a trial before three stern noblemen.
Tourists visiting Volterra today will understand the torment Elena endured during her ‘inspection’ from walking around the museum of Medieval Torture that’s built here and houses some frightening contraptions used to force confessions out of prisoners.
During her trial, she was accused of being possessed by the devil and practicing evil spells to frighten her townsfolk and kill local livestock. She was sentenced to public ridicule, was flogged fifty times, fined and banished from the Volterra diocese. Although this sounds like a horrific experience to us, this was actually an example of a lenient sentence when it came to convicting ‘witches’. Many thousands of innocent women were cruelly burnt at the stake in front of the townspeople as their punishment.
Tourists visiting Volterra today will understand the torment Elena endured during her ‘inspection’ from walking around the museum of Medieval Torture that’s built here and houses some frightening contraptions used to force confessions out of prisoners.
During her trial, she was accused of being possessed by the devil and practicing evil spells to frighten her townsfolk and kill local livestock. She was sentenced to public ridicule, was flogged fifty times, fined and banished from the Volterra diocese. Although this sounds like a horrific experience to us, this was actually an example of a lenient sentence when it came to convicting ‘witches’. Many thousands of innocent women were cruelly burnt at the stake in front of the townspeople as their punishment.
Regardless of her ‘mild’ punishment, this young woman’s suffering became the stuff of legend in Tuscany and many have pondered since the reasons why she escaped the penalty of death. Some say it was because she was secretly married to an influential nobleman who secretly managed to save his love from the ultimate punishment through his connections to the wealthy and political powers of Volterra.
This would be a fascinating place to visit to envisage harrowing times when a crazed population of superstitious believers were willing to murder innocent women. Related articles describe other interesting legends that were born of Tuscany’s colourful and bloodied history! This story is also part of a fascinating Italian documentary of Tuscany’s most infamous legends that can be bought on dvd.
This would certainly be a refreshing touring plan to follow on your vacation here!
This would be a fascinating place to visit to envisage harrowing times when a crazed population of superstitious believers were willing to murder innocent women. Related articles describe other interesting legends that were born of Tuscany’s colourful and bloodied history! This story is also part of a fascinating Italian documentary of Tuscany’s most infamous legends that can be bought on dvd.
This would certainly be a refreshing touring plan to follow on your vacation here!
Photo credits
picture 1: Pavek / CC BY-SA;
picture 2: Epbechthold / CC BY-SA.
picture 1: Pavek / CC BY-SA;
picture 2: Epbechthold / CC BY-SA.
