Bewitched Marche: A Journey into the Folk Witchcraft of the Marche Region

An in-depth study of popular witchcraft in the Marche region, ranging from the general to the specific aspects of the local scene, which retraces the history, influences, legends, and superstitions that have characterized the region and which have always had women as their main protagonists.

A narrative that ranges from witchcraft trials, spells, and curses discovered in local archives to beliefs spread throughout the region, retracing haunted places and recalling anecdotes, fears, and stratagems traditionally used to defend against witches' attacks.

Through denunciations, torture, metamorphoses, and magic formulas, a tale unfolds spanning nearly seven centuries, following the trail of those known in the Marche dialect as sdreghe, women who were blamed for the worst deeds against the community and who often served as ideal scapegoats for venting fears, guilt, suffering, and discontent.

Through a careful, thought-provoking analysis, the author thus restores to these women an identity, sometimes concrete, sometimes evanescent, but always present in the collective consciousness, from the most remote antiquity to the present day.

Silvia Alessandrini Calisti holds a four-year degree in Modern Literature and a Master's degree in Archives and Library Science. She worked for several years as a freelance library professional, also collaborating with the University of Macerata and Rome 3. In 2010, she moved into digital communications and regional web marketing; she later founded mammemarchigiane.it, a regional portal aimed at families (Golden Media Marche 2015; Premio Impresa Donna 2016). She collaborates with the Osservatorio di Genere association, where she focuses on communications and issues related to women in the Marche tradition. She also writes for "Vitamine Vaganti," the official magazine of the Toponomastica Femminile association. She is passionate about local folklore and microhistory.