076. Witch!

In April 1271, a Venetian woman called Diletta drew up her last will and testament. Four months later, her husband was summoned to appear before the highest court in the Republic to answer charges that he was responsible for her untimely and violent death. This week we examine a tragic story of a young woman’s ill-fated experiments that she hoped would protect her and her family from harm. Her tragic fate has given her the name of Venice’s First Witch.

Background reading:

This story comes from the work of two Italian historians:

“Un caso di stregoneria o di uxoricidio nell’Istria del duecento” by Marco Pozza in “Studi Veneti offerti a Gaetano Cozzi”

“Venice’s First Witch – A Perfect Crime” by Lara Pavanetto

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Intro and outro music is Primavera from Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni, used under Creative Commons licence from musopen.org