We Triora, a medieval village perched at an altitude of 780 meters in the Upper Valley Argentina, in the province of Imperia.
Beyond the hype and the business that runs on Triora there is another truth that shows itself only at sunset ... the country is populated by pagan gods of the night, ancient spirits and witches who have been there in the village and the forest to watch over their cities.
And here, in 1530, lived Franchetta Borelli, a young man of good family, but she always spoke ill of it because she was beautiful, perhaps because they remained indifferent to the gossip of the villagers, perhaps because he knew the secrets of the herbs or maybe because he visited the Buranco ... also known as "leap of the wolf", from the day where, coming out of the woods by a witch, a wolf learned the way to the pens and cribs, baby sheep and slaughters.
long, chased fleeing peasants, faced with Buranco and jumped from side to side ... for the inhabitants was aided by the Devil because he could not overcome a wolf with a jump that chasm of hell.
returned only on certain nights and apparently fled just before the sign of the cross so it was that the "wolf-witch" was incatturato. But back to
Franchetta Borelli witch ... so to know all the filters and the powerful magic of love ... if not for her? - They asked the women of Triora - she would love me and not the men of the country?
This was the question that led many women to accuse Franchetta.
love potions were not wanting at the time, but you had to be like Borelli because they went through.
Triora Thus came the famine that destroyed entire harvests, the death was to claim many victims in the country in the summer of 1587 and we wondered who, if not witches, they could he had marked the grain, the vineyards, the fruit and everything else.
Witches were the women of the country ... after a meeting of all citizens, it was decided to summon the mayor Stephen Carrega, "that he put his hands," they said ... and ask the help of the court 'Inquisition of Genoa.
500 crowns were earmarked for the payment of court costs but the citizens were unanimously agree to hunt while the "bagiure.
In early October, Girolamo del Pozzo, vicar of the bishop of Albenga and a vicar of the inquisitor of Genoa, whose name apparently is not specified in the documents of the process, came to Triora. The
women, but especially Franchetta, seemed not to care about what happened, none of them escaped.
Girolamo del Pozzo, as was customary before by a process of witchcraft, all gathered in church and terrorized citizens telling gruesome details of the rites of witches ... resurrect the dead, killed children, renounced the faith urinating on the Sacred Host and more . But above all
participated in rich banquet facilities, food is allowed only to Satan .. and talk about food in this village of starving Triora was the masterstroke of Del Pozzo, who convinced her to point the finger at any woman suspects without thinking too much.
"They eat while we starve? Well that then burn those damned! "
of the well if it had invented those things .. had studied the manuals as the Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches) that all the inquisitors had to hand in witchcraft trials.
fact is that women Triora, even after the sermon quietly continued to do business, to go out into the fields to gather herbs challenging malicious gossip and suspicion.
Franchetta now in his sixties, he continued to live in his house with his brother and address not only the collection of herbs.
Unaware of his fate was walking in the woods to assess whether its chestnuts were pretty big and healthy, if they would be well matured, calculating the quantity and quality of the harvest ... indifferent to the reputation he brought with him from when he was young. The inhabitants of
Triora meanwhile had gone by to inquisitorial sfagiolare names on names and perhaps many women were surprised to find himself at the door, the police sent by the inquisitors.
were about twenty women supposed witches, but not yet Franchetti, no one had yet made his name, maybe they were afraid of her than of the infallible weapon of the inquisitors. To be fair
furono13 women, three girls and one boy. Be prepared for a process with a lot of torture, sentenced to death by burning and confiscation of property that naturally attracted much ecclesiastical power.
Torture Del Pozzo were applied to the stand, the rope, the thumbscrews, the torture of waking, needles and torture of the fire under my feet. Torture these common, easy to apply in comparison to those in Germany or Spain in the Netherlands very imaginative ingenuity methods of torture to shock as the "Maiden" or the "Minotaur."
To return to our village, Del Pozzo was not stingy with torture, he managed to say what he wanted to be told to flush out all the women cursed Satan.
But there were some incidents that created some problems.
The first was the death of Isolde that Stella died in torture and the other was that of a woman who jumped from the window to escape the inquisitors. In addition
Del Pozzo was also hitting the wealthy Triora creating discontent and indignation among the inhabitants.
course there were those who found excuses for him to get through excellent good eye ... the two witches had rather die than betray Satan. Del Pozzo
Shortly after he left the thirteen Triora and evil remained in prison to supervised sight through the winter were forgotten in prison with no fire and only with a rag. They were awaiting trial until May when he arrived at a new Triora terrible inquisitor, that Julius Scribani. This
repopulated Prison hearing testimony and whispers of the people and put the women arrested in torture, among them was Catherine Capponi who admitted after hours of flying off the night stand to go to the sand while her husband was asleep and that he used to fly an ointment .
he sent some to go and try this ointment and were actually found some tins with grease, it was useless to the testimony of the cobbler, a neighbor, who said that he was using the fat for his work.
The husband of Catherine and the shoemaker were put in prison.
The other women tortured confessed terrible crimes, had killed adults and children with their bills. Scribani found evidence of these confessions in deaths unexplained a man and a number of children.
August Scribani proposed to review and approval by the government of Genoa his sentence: hanging and burning for all. But the Inquisition of Genoa wanted the convicted were transported to the Genoese jail to finish the process and convictions.
It was there that the thirteen were tortured and even between a gasp and a cry made all the name of the worst and most powerful of all: Franchetta Borelli.
In August of 1588, therefore, Franchetta was arrested. A Scribani was told that "young and lusty prostitute was" now that is old and everyone knew "was a more of the witches dangerous. " As the
had it in his hands, immediately put Franchetta Scribani ordered to stand. It was night and torn by grief Franchetta did not take long to scream to be a witch.
When it was dawn and was disbanded before Scribani denied everything he had said. He did it again to torture, but this time she refused to speak, though tortured managed to shut completely. The accused
many as 11 witnesses and three other witches and Scribani was certain to be facing a powerful witch surely protected from Satan.
did not care if your brother Borelli had managed to get a lawyer, he never tired of torture.
Franchetta did not cry during the torture even laughed and this was conclusive proof of the pact that the woman had entered with Lucifer himself. Desk was amazed, amazed that in spite of the torments inflicted on her still laughing. With the laughter Borelli signed its own condemnation.
intervened brother decided to take it back now destroyed by the torment of the rope to the tripod, the thumbscrews and above the fire to the feet. The brotherly bond and 1000 crowns as Scribani accepted.
do not know how, but he escaped in the forests of the Borelli Triora after a few days, even though he had more meat in his feet because of the fire and despite all the joints have sprained her inexplicably escaped ... maybe ... aided by Satan.
The police tried unsuccessfully in the woods of Triora Scribani he arrested the brother of Borelli and she returned in exchange for the release of his brother.
It was now September. The 19th day of the interrogation in 1588 was put on the record, the signature of the notary Giovanni Antonio Valelechia, the header reads "Costituto torments of data Franchetta Borelli supposed witch, September 19, 1588."
While the late summer sun was mature chestnuts Franchetta was questioned without torture but in the Hall of torment, she was asked if it would finally confess, but she nothing; She is reminded that he once confessed, but she replied saying that he had fever and that was all wrong what he said.
Scribani then made her undress and made her shave all the hair and scalp.
was then covered with a white linen shirt and was put on the stand ... the torture begins.
In the acts are the words of Franchetta, after several hours of stand says "Calatemi the truth, I said, if I fell now I calerete dead. I miss your breath my heart race, "thereto.
Torture takes less than 23 hours and are all questions to the repetitive question-answer ... is heartbreaking, she often begs to be removed from the stand and Scribani admonished to tell the truth. After 13 hours
Franchetta stops to pray as if it were sitting comfortably in the living room starts to speak, who is around there, beautiful chestnut brown Triora. After another hour talking about this and that. Then
Franchetta silent, and after five and a half hours, always in torture, says, "This wind is not very good for chestnuts."
arrive in 23 hours of torture one of the assistants look at the time and the Borelli laughed and said, "What are you watching! What matters most in an hour or less. "
Scribani realizes that torture was unnecessary because Franchetta cares little or nothing and is pulling down and putting in his cell.
Franchetta not never confessed to being a witch, there was always mocked and laughed at the torments ... her talk is no longer any documents ... you do not know what has happened to. His fate seemed that the fire but I like to think that it could also be run as a woman ... and maybe his spirit still wanders the woods of chestnut trees that she loved so much and Buranco.
Olympics
The information was taken from a book that I studied and if you are interested in the
recommend it because it speaks to many many other processes not only in Italy but also abroad, based on documentation of
'era.
"The Black Book of witch hunt" of Vanna de Angelis Ed Piemme 2001. Published on
CROP
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