Was it a hex?

According to legend, this folklore dates back to the 1940s, when Biagio Virgilio, then mayor of Colobraro, proclaimed at a meeting in the nearby city of Matera: “May this chandelier fall down if I’m not telling the truth!”

With those words, the chandelier plummeted from the ceiling, and Virgilio’s village quickly became synonymous with bad omens.

Today, Colobraro is still largely considered a place whose name is better not mentioned. Residents of neighbouring villages call it ‘Cudd Pais’ (‘that village’ in the local dialect), and are quick to touch wood when they hear the name as a good-luck charm to drive away any misfortune.