Clean air and a healthy lifestyle may be more likely reasons for the absence of the virus in a Piedmont village

The inhabitants of Montaldo Torinese, a village in Italy’s northern Piedmont region, have so far been spared coronavirus, leading some to believe they are being protected by the “miracle water” that, according to legend, cured Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops of pneumonia.

Montaldo Torinese lies about 11 miles (19km) from Turin, the regional capital where as of Saturday 3,658 people were infected with the virus. Across Piedmont, the fourth worst-affected region in Italy, there were 8,206 cases as of Sunday.

The water from the well in Montaldo Torinese, a village of 720 inhabitants, is believed to have helped cure Napoleon’s troops, who had set up camp in the village in June 1800 before a battle in nearby Marengo.

“According to tradition, Napoleon’s generals were sick with pneumonia,” Sergio Gaiotti, the mayor of Montaldo Torinese, told the Guardian. “And thanks to the clean air and pristine countryside, but also this well, they were cured. During that period, the water probably did help. But today, the well is closed and its water used only to irrigate the fields. You can’t drink from it.”

Napoleon and his troops went on to win the battle against Austrian forces at Marengo.

Montaldo Torinese has a large elderly population, but it is also home to young families, with people commuting to Turin for work.

Gaiotti said the more credible reasons for an absence of coronavirus could be the clean air and healthy lifestyle, as well as his efforts to warn people of the risks of coronavirus and distribute face masks to all families.

“There is hardly any industry around here, it’s mostly made up of artisans,” he said. “From the beginning, I put notices in people’s letterboxes listing the things they needed to do to stay safe, such as washing hands regularly and avoiding direct contact, and posted official notices on our website. We were the first town in the area to distribute masks to all families, and we are still distributing replacement masks.”