There in front of the fireplaces of mount Amiata’s villages, during the long winter evenings, stories and legends of old times are told. Among the most famous is the tale Santa Fiora’s dragon (or of the “Cifero serpent”, as tradition says). The friars of Selva’s monastery, near Santa Fiora, had long ago noticed the presence of a gigantic dragon in the woods, which not only fed on cows, sheep and other animals, but also on men. Dense flames and fumes came out of those jaws and that often ignited large forest fires.
At that time the Aldobrandeschi and Bosio Sforza families were masters of Santa Fiora. From a marriage between offspring of these two families, the young Count Guido was born, a righteous man much loved by his people. The friars asked him for help. He equipped himself with armor, spears and harquebuses, in an attempt to defeat the dragon all by himself alone. But he could barely return alive from the dragon’s fury. He then realized that some valid reinforcements were needed.
The only man who could have directed such an operation was the wizard of Arcidosso, the famous Merlin, who was living in a cave on the road that leads from Arcidosso to San Lorenzo. Merlin combined his powers of magic with a great reputation and consideration as a wise and powerful man. It was not difficult for him to manage and call Cavalier Giorgio, the great Christian fighter. Cavalier Giorgio arrived in Arcidosso, hosted by Count Guido di Santa Fiora and by the friars of Selva’s monastery.
They set up a plan to frame the dragon: some young friars began to dance and sing in front of the cave’s entrance, as bait for the dragon to come out, where he would find the “surprise” that had been prepared for him. The dragon came out smoking angry. But from the height of a large chestnut tree, a volley of arrows and spears fell upon him. A stroke of the spear from Cavalier Giorgio ended forever that bloodthirsty monster.
Inside the sacristy of Trinity’s church, which is part of Selva’s monastery, the friars still display, as a proof of the story’s authenticity, a monstrous jaw that’s said to be that of the dragon. Perhaps it is actually a crocodile jaw, a hunting trophy of some local persona, but maybe it is not the case to spoil such a suggestive legend.
