The witch's alarm in Calle della Toletta street in Venice

If you are near the Accademia museum strolling through the Dorsoduro district in Venice, go down the Calle della Toletta street and you will see something really curious. On a yellow house, near the roof, there is an old alarm clock!

Legend has it that the alarm marked the time when 'invoices' were made by a witch who lived nearby and who dabbled in black magic. On the death of the witch, the house where she lived was closed for years because no one wanted to live there.

The large copper alarm hanging there today is not the original one, it has instead been replaced three times over the years.

A barber who had his shop just inside the small street, close to the witch's house started the series of the alarms of the Toletta many years ago. One day the man, as a joke, asked the workers who were working on the building to hang an old alarm clock. Then, a few years later, the alarm was removed and disturbing phenomena began appearing: sounds, visions, unexplained disappearances of objects, small domestic accidents. The new alarm, was then put back and removed a few years later to carry out restoration work. The strange events started to occur again and again. The spirit of the witch does not seem to want to give up on the time of her next spell!

Venice holds many more curious places in addition to the Calle della Toletta, buildings, bridges or squares often linked to unsolved mysteries or funny anecdotes! Many of these are narrated in this section, others are known only by a select few. If you would like to immerse yourself in Venice's most hidden and legendary secrets, our trusted local guides will be happy to lead you to discover the lesser known places of Venice!