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Things to do in Italy > Canavese

Cintano and the basilisk

Where: cintano
(Cintano)
Genre: folklore   

A legend tells that a basilisk, a mythological animal, lived in the woods of Cintano. The basilisk was born from an egg laid by a black rooster, fertilized by a viper and hatched by a toad. It has the body, the crest, the legs of a rooster, the tail of a viper and the wings of a dragon. One meter tall, it feeds on mice and squirrels. Of nocturnal habits, during the day it is well hidden in its den. It has a breath of fire that burns everything as it passes and breathes. One day a hen while walking around with her young crosses the basilisk. The smallest and blackest chick, warned of the danger, hides in a bush. The basilisk kills the mother hen and all the other chicks. The surviving chick emerges from the brambles and looks at the basilisk which possesses the deadly gaze provided it looks first at its prey; otherwise he will die. The chick was faster and I look at the basilisk first, killing it. The inhabitants of Cintano celebrate happily. They take the body of the lifeless basilisk and bury it near the creek. Then in honor of the narrow escape they built the Malpasso chapel. The basilisk's lair was never found, as was his grave.

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