La Berta

Sailko

In Florence, Italy at the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore there is a strange feature named "La Berta". La Berta is a figure of a woman's head and stands out of place on the side of the church. There isn't much information on La Berta, but she's been there since medieval times. It's unsure why she was placed there, but there are theories or tales on how and why she's there. 

The most common lore is that the La Berta was petrified on September 16, 1327, and was cursed by Cecco d’Ascoli, an astrologer. His execution was a spectacle as people in groups were watching his procession. Some were watching from windows and balconies. On this day Cecco d'Ascoli was on his way to being executed and burned at the stake for heresy. In the procession, they would go through Via dei Cerretani, and he stopped to ask for some water. 

Berta was standing in the church window and told everyone to deny him water. She claimed he was an alchemist communicating with the Devil using water. That the devil would try to grant him immunity to his crimes and would be saved. During his execution he stared at the woman and cursed at her in Anger "You will never lift your head from there" The woman would petrify there.

Another and more logical theory is that the head is a memorial to a benefactor who had donated a bell to the church. The woman who donated was a greengrocer who had a fruit stall there. She did this so that the bell was used to chime whenever the city gates opened and closed. This may explain why she's positioned on the bell tower wall.

It's also theorized that she is actually was a Roman sculpture that was used as decoration. 

SOURCES:

Ancient Pages

Atlas Obscure

Antica Torre

Hair Bundle Mystery

 

In early March 2019, mysterious bundles of hair started showing up in Santa Barbra, California. They had been found mainly in center divider areas on Carrillo Hill, Meigs Rd, Cliff Dr, and even the Mesa Shopping area. It's said that some people witnessed the bundles being thrown out of cars.

The bundles were in braids and were dark brown. They were similar to horse hair but less coarse and almost like human hair, but not. (I wonder if they were some sort of hair for extensions)

Why were these bundles of hair left sitting around? No one knows, but many would say that it was creepy nonetheless. 

SOURCES:

Keyt March 9, 2019

Ed Hat March 9, 2019

KFI March 11, 2019

Reddit

Folklore: Toothstone

Photo by Salazar an Atlas Obscura User

The Toothstone lies in a glen just outside of the village of Port Charlotte, Scotland. The stone itself looks somewhat like a molar. The Toothstone was used for generations by the people in Port Charlotte. It was believed that the stone could relieve a toothache.

For the desired outcome if you wake up with a toothache during the night you were to go to the Toothstone. You bring a hammer and nail and then hammer a nail into the stone. This was to magically heal your toothache.

SOURCES:
Atlas Obscura

Edinburgh News December 26, 2020

The Whale Bone in Verona

Verona, Italy is known as the city of Romeo and Juliet and is home to a centuries-old whalebone. The city lies 75 miles (120 km) from the sea and no one knows how or when it ended up where it hangs. The bone is believed to be a rib hanging in the center of the mediecal Arco Della Costa entry point. It's known that the bone has been there since the 1700s because of artwork, but it's believed that it may have been hung there since the 1400s when the arch was built in 1470.

The walkway above the arch it hangs from was used for safe passage for judges and magistrates between city hall and their living quarters. It was used to separate themselves from the common and corrupt people below. The legend goes that it will fall on the first innocent or truthful person to walk under the archway.

It's unknown wher who and why the whalebone was initially hung there. Some say that it was a relic brought back by Isreal Crusaders and displayed as a votive offering, or maybe it was never whalebone, to begin with, but a fossil of some sort of Marine animal and was hung for protection. Some believe that a pharmacy may have been in the area and since whalebone was used in medicine they hung it to advertise their shop. Truth is it will probably never be known.

SOURCES:

Obscura Atlas

Italian Notes

GPS My City

Trip Advisor