The legend I’m telling you today is set in a place where I already took you in my adventures, searching for fantastic stories: the old road for Prali, in Val Germanasca.
This time, the story talks about a young man who took a fancy to two beautiful girls who lived in Gardiola hamlet. One was shy and fascinating for her sweetness, the other was a breezy one who stole his heart always provoking him with her avances. The man, who talked up to both of them, couldn’t make up his mind!
The girls, sick and tired of this situation, arranged to make him jealous: «I will pretend to be in love with the handsome blonde man», said the first one. «I, instead, am going to say that I’m in love with the soldier who makes eyes at me», declared the other one. But their plan failed: their undecided suitor dumped both of them mocking them with his friends.
The girls, offended and angry, decided to seek revenge.
One night the man was going from Perrero to Prali on a mule and noticed that the two ex-lovers were waiting for him at the side of the road, where you can find the Gardiola rock. Hoping to avoid any discussion, he passed by without even looking at them. Then he looked back, but the only thing he could see were two small dogs running in his direction. He stepped aside to let them pass, but they came up beside him instead of passing by, and after a while he noticed that the two little dogs weren’t so little, but instead they were quite big. Some minutes after, he was covered in cold sweat viewing with the corner of his eye that step by step the dogs were getting bigger and bigger, until they reached the size of his mule.
Frightened to death, the man drew a small saber who used to take with him during the night journeys in order to keep the frightening beasts at bay. When he reached Villa di Prali he was exhausted and ran towards the first inhabited house begging for shelter.
After this horrible experience he stayed sick in his bed for many days, and I’m quite sure that he changed his mind about the idea of wounding the feelings of the girls, especially the ones with magical powers!
How to get here:
From Pinerolo, take the SP23 in the direction of Colle del Sestriere, then before Villar Perosa turn left on Strada Provinciale 166, then go on Strada Provinciale 169, always following the directions for Prali. When you’ll get to the fork between Rodoretto and Fontane you’ll find some small places to leave your car. From here you can walk on a path which descends to the creek and then reach the old road to Prali.
Do you want to read the tale in Italian ?