The city of Venice offers fascinating architectural elements and an interesting history … but don’t miss to hear about its legends.
One of those legends or horror stories takes place in Dorsoduro just next to the San Nicolò dei Mendicoli Church:
A girl called Dorina had just left the Evensong when she realized that a very beautiful girl was watching her. The girl, Laura, asked Dorina if she wanted to know the secret of her beauty.
Dorina asked the girl if she would be a witch. That made Laura laugh and she negated it. Laura told Dorina that she lived in this part of the city as of late and that she was fascinated by Dorina’s ferventness and faith. Therefore she wanted to reveal the secret of her beauty to Dorina.
Laura gave Dorina a tiny bottle, telling her anoint herself with its substance, to light a lot of candles and to leave the window ajar before going to sleep. Furthermore, she would have to cover all the mirrors in her room and would not be allowed to appeal to the Holy Virgin. If she did as Laura told her, three women would visit her in the same night to answer her questions.
Dorina did what Laura asked for, but when the three women appeared she saw the reflection of their backs in a mirror (that she had forgotten to cover up) and realized that their backs were all hairy.
Dorina screamed and fled from her room. Down in the street she met Laura who tried to calm her, but when she looked at her feet, Dorina realized that Laura had caprine legs. Laura tried to hit her, but Dorina appealed to the Holy Virgin and in the very same moment a bright light illuminated the calle. Laura was gone.
Today, a statue of the Holy Virgin still remembers this legend. It’s located right behind the San Nicolò dei Mendicoli Church in the Calle drio la Chiesa.
According to Venetian tradition the „fade“ (En. „fairy“) are evil spirits of women who died whilst giving birth: They are dressed in white, have caprine legs and come back to the world of the living to endow beauty and wealth. But when they appear you have to hide all the sharp metals.
