The legend of the Devil’s bridge on Torcello Island

On Torcello island there is a bridge called The Devil's Bridge. This particular name has no certain origines, some people say that it comes from the nickname of a family who used to live there, but other people think that is connected to an ancient story, a legend, where the main character are a witch, a young Austrian soldier, a young girl and the devil himself.

THE LEGEND OF THE DEVIL'S BRIDGE ON TORCELLO ISLAND

This legend tells the story of a Venetian girl who fell in love with a young austrian soldier during the Austrian occupation in Venice. Their love wasn't approved by the girl's parents who did everything they could to stop it. The girl was forced to leave Venice, in order to avoid any chance to see her lover, untile she received the news that her beloved had been murdered by hidden hands. She lost herself in despair, she stopped eating and started abandoning herself to death, when a family friend advised her to go and visit a witch he knew, to solve her problems.

THE PACT WITH THE DEVIL

The witch was happy to help the young girl and made a pact with the Devil: 7 souls of 7 Christian children, who died prematurely, for the Austrian soldier's life. They agreed to meet at the Devil's Bridge, on Torcello island. The two women reached the island by boat, few months after the pact was made, and they waited for the Devil to come, on the right side of the bridge. The young girl was holding a lighted candle in a hand and a gold coin in the other. She was ready to see her soldier again. The girl started crossing the bridge, the witch invoked the Devil who suddenly appeared. Seeing the girl with the gold coin, the Devil took the space&time key out of his mouth and he stripped it up and let it fall right over the bridge, into the water, then he took the coin and the Austrian soldier appeared on the left side of the bridge. The young girl saw him and pass through the Devil's body to reach him, once in front of him, she blew the candle out. The darkness showed them the way to live happly ever after. The witch still had to pay her debt and she agreed with the Devil to bring the 7 young souls there, at the Devil's Bridge of Torcello Island, on December 24. Unfortuately, the witch was killed by a young man who discovered the pact and wanted to save the souls of these poor children. On December 24, the Devil came to Torcello to receive his delivery, without knowing about the witch's death. Since that day, the Devil appears every year on the same day, under the shape of a black cat, waiting for the 7 young souls.