Have you ever been buffeted by the strong gusts of wind that tear through piazza del Duomo? An old legend claims that this is no ordinary wind, but the work of the devil himself.
Many centuries ago, a cleric was preaching to a crowd in the piazza, on the south side of the Duomo. The devil, determined to put an end to this righteous behaviour, descended on the gathering in the form of a whirlwind. He succeeded in blowing away the crowd, then turned to the priest, who cleverly managed to evade him by entering the Duomo through the Porta dei Canonici, running through the building, and escaping from a door on the opposite side. The devil was outwitted and to this day cannot figure out what happened. He remains in the square even now, in the form of a whirlwind (rifrullo del diavolo), still trying to catch the crafty cleric.
So, the next time your hat is blown off or your umbrella turned inside out by a gust in piazza del Duomo, you’ll know that cursing the devil is indeed the correct response.
