Stories of devils in Florence

Florence has many stories to tell and some of these stories tell about very strange episodes, half true and half fantastic. Among the many stories handed down over the centuries, two of them are really interesting and have something in common: the devil’s appearance.

Feel free not to believe it, but according to legends the devil appeared in Florence twice and has left its traces downtown…

First appearance

In 1243 a crowd of people was listening to the sermon of Saint Peter Martyr against the heretics, in the current piazza della Repubblica. On that occasion a spooked black horse lashed out at the crowd by causing big panic. Saint Peter understood that the horse was the devil itself, so he held out his arms towards it by making the sign of the cross. This act forced the beast to retreat and its figure disappeared into the shadows, down the street that takes to piazza Strozzi.

Between myth and reality

At the corner between via de’ Vecchietti and via degli Strozzi (the street that connects the two squares) you can see a little bronze statue known as the diavoletto, or little devil, realized by sculptor Giambologna. They say that when the Vecchietti family (one of the noble families in Florence) commissioned the Flemish artist to restore their palace in 1584, they wanted him also to put the statue (that is actually a satyr) in the point where the strange episode has happened.

Another thing linked to this incredible story, is represented by the fresco located in the Duomo square, which is dedicated to the scene (see the image at the top of this post). The fresco is located above the so called Loggia del Bigallo, which was the first site of the Compagnia della Misericordia, an association for charity founded by Saint Peter Martyr himself and if you look at it you will see a black horse on a crowd of people.

Second appearance

The second story tells about a priest, which one day, in a undefined time, was chased by the devil, which wanted to catch his soul. The man was escaping through the streets of the city and he arrived in piazza del Duomo, where he found his salvation. One version of the story says that he entered the church through a lateral entrance by hiding from his pursuer. Another version says that he asked and obtained from the devil the chance to pray the last time…

Anyway the conclusion is that he entered the church from one door and left it through another door. The devil, that was tired of waiting and angry, began to blow strong enough to create a whirlwind.

Between myth and reality

It happens nowadays that if you walk through the street which brings to piazza del Duomo on its right side, which is called via dello Studio, you can feel a light breeze blowing. During the windy days this breeze becomes a real whirlwind and they say it is because of the breath of the devil: that’s why the Florentines call it the rifrullo del diavolo, or the devil’s whirlwind.

Travel tips

• You can find Giamobologna’s devil at the corner between via de’ Vecchietti and via degli Strozzi, close to piazza Strozzi. It’s a copy and the original statue is situated in the Bardini Museum.
• The fresco representing the scene of the black horse is located above the Loggia del Bigallo, in the Duomo square, at the corner with via de’ Calzaiuoli.
• You will have the chance to feel the rifrullo by walking on the right side of the cathedral (the one of Giotto’s belltower), especially through via dello Studio, a narrow street that is linked to the square on that side.

Come to Florence and take a trip back in time with us. We have many other stories to tell you.