They name the village after the Latin word for serpent, Coloubaire.

Today though, so many centuries later, its name is rarely spoken by those who live in

the Basalacata region of Italy.

There's something about it that gives local Italians a feeling of dread, and they'd

rather not speak its name.

Coloubaire earned that reputation though, if we're to believe the stories.

It said that in the early years of the 20th century, the town was home to a very successful,

but very disliked lawyer, named Biagio Virgilio.

Virgilio was speaking in court one day, according to the story, when he pointed up toward

the ceiling of the courthouse.

If what I say is false, he shouted, may this chandelier come down.

The end it did.

He dropped right into the middle of the room and shattered into a thousand pieces, and

while no one was injured, the town's reputation took on a dark hue.

It was cursed, they say, hext, and later events only served to reinforce that belief.

Landslides, car accidents, there are even stories of babies born with two hearts or three

lungs, and of course, tales of witchcraft.

When life doesn't go the way we'd hoped, we look for reasons.

Claiming that our town is cursed is an easy way to make sense of the accidental, the

unexpected, and the unfortunate.

And sometimes the evidence is dark and deep, and includes suffering, death, and even

utter destruction.

...