The Cursed Mill in Maremma

In the Middle Ages, the Maremma hills were surrounded by picturesque windmills that used to grind the grain of the surrounding countryside; one of these, albeit reduced to ruins, is still visible. The farmers who pass nearby look the other way, partly for its sinister look, partly for the veil of mystery that surrounds it.

Legend has it that the owner of that windmill, once upon a glorious time, was a greedy, cruel and malicious miller who, in order to become richer, made the worst disasters ever at the expense of his poor workers who were forced to grind the corn, since that mill was the only one that existed as far as the eye could see. As the saying goes, however, justice eventually comes for all. And so a disastrous year came, during which drought and famine destroyed the crops. But while the peasants suffered hunger without even a grain of corn left, the wicked miller rested quietly and comfortably in the house, with his bread and his fire lit. On a cold winter evening, someone knocked at his door: it was a woman with worn-out clothes and a baby in her arms, both frightened with cold. 'Lord, have mercy on us, give us a loaf of bread and a bit of fire to warm us up.' Anyone with a tiny shred of feeling would have felt sorry for them... Well, anyone except the miller, who with his usual ruthless attitude shouted, ‘Go away if you do not want me to hit you with a stick!’

It was at that moment that the woman turned into a beautiful lady wrapped in shining light who, in a confident tone said 'Woe to you, heartless man! By shooing me away you cast the Lord out from your house! From this moment onwards your mill will be cursed forever and its wings will never move again! And so it was: despite the intervention of the most skilled mechanics, the mill's blades never moved for more than one centimetre, as if they had been nailed to the sky. Soon they became filled with nests of black crows that squawked continuously, hovering above the cursed mill.

And the miller? Well, no one heard about him ever again. Perhaps, one night, protected by darkness, he fled far from his mill, bringing with him the remorse of all his evil deeds.

If you like mysteries and legends and are going to visit the Tuscan capital, we suggest you take part in our tour 'Scary Florence: private tour between ghosts, mysteries and noir stories’... you are bound to get the shivers!