THE LEGEND OF THE DEVIL’S PIT

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I am a descendant of Acheron who lived many centuries ago and who, at that time, lived in the Romagna plain, only 15 km from Bologna, more precisely in Sasso Marconi. Thanks to my ancestors, who have kept telling this story to each generation, I am now able to tell you this old family tale.

Here we can now find houses and buildings, but at the time of these events the landscape was dominated by fields and vegetable gardens. On a small hill stood a castle with tall towers and thick walls which contrasted the medieval village mainly made up of thatched cottages.

At that time the inhabitants of Sasso Marconi began to talk about a mysterious creature that wandered through the fields in search of damned souls, bringing death and destruction wherever it went. It was described in different ways: some swore it had the appearance of a demon and some spoke of a terrifying monster. However,  nobody knew what it really was until one chilling night. The moon was hidden behind the clouds. It was extremely dark, almost impossible to see anything. A figure suddenly appeared. Frightened, Acheron and all the other inhabitants hid in the church and stayed there until the next morning. During the night the creature tried  to enter the church several times but failed. It was enraged. The creature climbed to the top of a nearby hill ready to jump onto the church and destroy it, but before pouncing onto its prey a thunderbolt crossed the sky and sent the demonic figure hurdling down the hill with its dazzling light. There was a glimpse of the Virgin Mary in the sky. When the inhabitants came out of the church they found a large crack from which dark water was flowing: it was the devil's grave.