Italian folklore

Italian brigand (1830–1905)

thumb|A wooden puppet depicting the Befana In Italian folklore and folk customs, the Befana () is a witch-like old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi. The Befana is a widespread tradition among Italians and thus has many names. She is a part of both popular national culture and traditional folk culture and is akin to other figures who roam about sometime during the Twelve Days and reward the good, punish the bad, and receive offerings. The Befana is a mysterious, contradictory figure o

anecdote

thumb|Bergstutz or Stollwurm In the folklore of the Alpine region of south-central Europe, the (), , or is a lizard-like creature, essentially a sort of dragon (see Germanic dragon), often described as having the face of a cat, with a serpent-like body which may be slender or stubby, with four short legs or two forelegs and no hindlegs, the latter a trait shared with many lindworms. Stories of essentially the same creature also exist in the folklore of South Sweden.

Largest and oldest known chestnut tree

thumb|A depiction of the mythical dahu The dahu () is a legendary creature that resembles a mountain goat and is well known in France and francophone regions of Switzerland and Italy, including the Aosta Valley. The dahu, a quadrupedal mammal, may have been inspired by the chamois, a small, horned goat-antelope once plentiful in European mountainous regions, and also resembles the ibex.

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Italian brigand (1876-1956)

character from European folklore

popular tales and legends from Italy

Italian Catholic folk tradition

story about St. Francis of Assisi

Medieval legend

thumb|Man wearing ciocie thumb|A pair of ciocie Ciocia (pl. ciocie) is a kind of Italian footwear, now typically associated with the rural population of mountainous areas of Italy and the western Balkans. The traditional form of ciocie are made with large leather soles, tied to the leg by straps ( or ) bound between the ankle and the knee. Rather than socks, a large piece of loose cloth (, pl. ) was placed around the feet, ankles, and calves under the ciocie.