It is said that along the Arno an ancient breath lies hidden.
It has no name, but eyes that petrify and a voice of water.
It is the secret the river keeps.

According to popular folklore in Casentino, the “Badalischio” is a creature that looks like a cross between a rooster and a snake, but larger in size, capable of turning anyone who looks it in the eye to stone. It was first sighted in Gorga Nera, a marsh at the mouth of the Arno River, which was created in 1300 following a landslide caused by flooding of the Arno itself.

There are numerous accounts of sightings throughout history, and it was said to live in the woods and waters. Until recently, this creature still generated fear among the inhabitants of the various villages of the Casentino area and was the subject of stories and warnings to children not to venture into the woods alone. Today, it has been lost in the disillusionment of our technological society. I went in search of this creature in the places described in the chronicles, among the villages and woods of the Casentino area, following the course of the Arno.