And They Will Call You A Witch

From afar, the castle of Fiè allo Sciliar seems to come right out of a fairy tale. Carved in white onyx, it stands majestically against the cobalt blue sky of the Dolomite valley, like a protector of the houses that surround it. Hardly anyone would image the horrific crimes committed within its walls, when one of the most dramatic trials of the sixteenth century would send thirty innocent women to their deaths by fire. The Witches of the Sciliar were locked up in a tiny cell of the castle dungeons. Tortured, they were forced falsely confession to devil worship. To show them compassion would have resulted in an admission of guilt.

Barbara Vellerin was one of them. Raised by her mother on the edge of the village, her childhood years were filled with joy, caring for the needy and observing the plants and animals around her. Then everything changed when a group of religious men, for whom any woman is a potential witch, began to accuse her of black magic.

Five hundred years later, Arianna Miele is granted the honor of curating an exhibition on the Witches of the Sciliar. The nomination is important for her career as anthropologist, and an opportunity for her to become independent of her oppressive family. But as she immerses herself in history, she discovers the truth of one of its supposed heroes and gives voice to an innocent woman silenced by hypocrisy and cruelty.