The Year of Our Lord 1518.
In Italy, there was a witch-hunt on a larger scale than that of Salem, yet for centuries it remained almost forgotten.
In the heart of the Val Camonica, the plague, famine and a succession of disasters fuelled a desperate need to find someone to blame. When Pasquina, Messer Pasino and Agnese reported to the authorities the alleged presence of witches and devil-worshippers in the valley, what seemed like a simple plea for help set in motion a chain of events destined to spiral out of everyone’s control.
From Brescia, Bishop Altobello Averoldi sends Fra Tommaso, a friar who had remained on the fringes of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, on what appears to be a simple mission: to restore order, quell the rumours and bring the affair to a swift close.
But every interrogation gives rise to new accusations, every confession drags other names into the fray, until fear turns into a veritable epidemic. The trial spreads, no longer distinguishing between the innocent and the guilty, engulfing an entire valley and giving rise to what would become the greatest witch-hunt in Italian history.
An almost forgotten tragedy, for even the statements and testimonies from that trial were largely destroyed by fire or consigned to oblivion.
Until now