CABOTINA

Cabotina

This area hosted the village barns used to shelter sheep and goats. Nowadays it is one of the main attractions for visitors, interested in the tragic events that took place from 1587 to 1589, when the village was literally turned inside out, in search of a group of women thought to be witches. 

In one of the barns you can find a beautiful bàgiua (witch) inside a cell; some boards tell us what happened in those years and the fate of those women who were thought to be witches only because they were reserved, solitary and knew and used medicinal plants. They were obviously not guilty of witchcraft and of the practices they were accused of, like flying over the village to join the devil or causing disasters like sudden hailstorms or preparing diabolic unguents to ‘ruin’ someone or even eating babies. 

Those events were tragic: at least 35 women were accused of witchcraft; 19 of them and a man were sent to prison in Genova. 5 of them died while in prison while 9 did not survive the tortures they were inflicted. Some of the women were condemned to penitence, others to publicly recant; some of them who retracted their previous confessions were probably set free. One of the women was sent to trial in Genova. The only man among the accused, Biagio Verrando, was condemned to recant. But there is no real evidence about the fate of some of the women; some went back to Triora where they lived and died and were buried as Christians (Franchetta Borelli, Battistina Augeri and Franceschina Chiocheto). No trace of the others. 

Only time brought some justice to these women; there are still women who can heal by simply using their hands and whispering some incomprehensible words. Some say they can still abbaggiurare (curse)… and it might be true…