We are in San Marino, where the Witch’s Pass offers one of the most beautiful views in the area. With a single glance, you can embrace the Valli di Comacchio and the Adriatic Sea. But be careful: during summer evenings, many say they hear witches laughing and joking.
The Witch’s Pass is a picturesque stone path that runs along the edge of the mountain and dates back to around the 1200s. It connects the First Tower (also known as Rocca or Guaita), the oldest of the three towers, with the Second Tower, also known as the Castle of the Cesta.
Its name blends legend and tradition and dates back to the Middle Ages.
The castle of San Marino was full of soldiers who, upon seeing a black cat, would immediately attack to kill any potential witch because everyone saw witches as envious women with red hair who wanted to kill the most beautiful girls. But no one knew that the beautiful princess was also a witch and that every night she went to the Witch’s Path, where her chestnut hair turned into the white fur of a cat. At the Witch’s Path, she and many other girls performed strange but harmless rites: they used herbs, wood, stones, earth, and especially brightly colored and fragrant flowers. Above all, they performed graceful and delicate dances, telling ancient ballads through song.
One night, during a full moon, the girls began their harmless rites. A young soldier passed by and saw the beautiful princess but did not recognize her and hid crouched behind a bush. As the first rays of sunlight appeared, the girls returned to their homes in the form of black and white cats. The princess stayed a little longer, and the young man decided to speak to her. He told her he loved her, that he did not want to raise the alarm, and that he had realized that witches were not evil. She, meanwhile, was frightened but discovered she reciprocated the young man’s love. Then daylight came, and they had to part. Every night they met at the Witch’s Path until one night an army of soldiers arrived and slaughtered the witches. The princess was saved because the soldier sacrificed himself to save her. She, mad with grief, threw herself from the castle walls, letting out a piercing and sharp scream that echoed between the rocks and woke her father. He then declared a witch hunt and, after a few months, died of a broken heart.
Legend has it that even today, at five in the morning on cold winter nights, the girl’s scream and desperate cries can still be heard.
Even today, many swear they hear them laughing and joking, especially on summer nights.
