The people of Ceserana, named “Cigerani”, are well known in Garfagnana for a number of “stories” that underline their supposedly guillible and foolish nature. This fact of popular tradition, orally handed down, has been, in these last decades, object of interesting studies. Such studies have evinced that these stories are common among different areas on the peninsula, so that in the 90's these so called “Fool's villages” gathered at conference. There are many of these stories: in this resort known as “Salty fountain” we will recount some and others will be found within the small museum next to the church of Ceserana.
THE CESERANI SALTED A FOUNTAIN.
Once upon a time... when salt was expensive, the “Cigerani” decided to salt a “fountain”, so they wouldn't have needed to buy any more salt, it would have sufficed use the water to flavour the food. They bought many a sacs of salt and emptied them in to the fountain, pleased to have solved once and for ever their “salty” problem. The day after the housewifes went to collect the water, sure that their “polenta” would have been flavoured just wright... but unfortunatly!!! All was tasteless. With the running water all the salt had been washed away.
THE CESERANI WANTED TO GIVE THE POPLAR A DRINK
Just above the Salty fountain had grown a nice poplar, but one day its top branches started to dry. The poor desperate Ceserani thought it was thirsty. They found a long ladder and climbed the poplar, hanging to one another hoping they could bend the tree top in order to dip it in to the fountain. At a certain point the one attached to the branches, exausted, had to spit in his hands and left his hold just for a moment, causing everyone to fall. They were all tangled up and no one knew which was his own arm or leg. A monk was at the moment passing by, and hearing their moans and groans started striking the entanglement with his walking stick. The Ceserani started yelling “Ahi! Ahi! My leg!! Ahi! Ahi! My arm!!”. This way everyone found his own limbs.
