Did you know that scattered across Europe are dozens of ‘devil’s bridges’ – ancient stone arch bridges crossing waterways, each with its own particular, spooky legend?

There are some 49 such bridges in France, where I live for part of the year, so I was already familiar with the concept when I came across it during the research for my new novel, The Echoes of Love, which is set in Venice and Tuscany.

In Venice, the devil’s bridge is on the fascinating lagoon island of Torcello, population just 20, and home to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (dates back to 639 and has some amazing Byzantine mosaics); the Church of Santa Fosca; the Museo Provinciale di Torcello housed in two palaces; and an ancient stone chair known as Attila’s Throne. But the Ponte del Diavolo is one of main draws for visitors to the island.

Here is one legend of the Torcello bridge, as told by my hero Paulo in The Echoes of Love:

‘During the occupation of Austria, a young Venetian girl fell in love with an Austrian soldier. Her family disapproved of this union and the young man was murdered.  The girl was so desperate that she went to a magician who made a pact with the Devil to bring the soldier back to life, in exchange for the souls of seven children. The contract between the Venetian girl and the Devil was signed and the meeting place was the bridge of Torcello. When the sorcerer and the girl went to the meeting, they saw the Devil and the young man on the other side of the bridge. The girl crossed the bridge and the lovers fled. When the time for payment came, the sorcerer and the Devil arranged a new meeting at the bridge, but on the way to the rendezvous the magician died of natural causes before he got there. And from that day onwards, it is said that every night the Devil appears on the bridge waiting for the souls of those seven children.’

Certainly a story to keep children well away from the bridge at night!

In Tuscany, the famous devil’s bridge is the Ponte della Maddalena. It’s situated in the province of Lucca, near the town of Borgo a Mozzano, and it crosses the Serchio river. In the past, it was part of a medieval road to Rome much-travelled by those on pilgrimages.

Here is one of the legends attached to the bridge:

When the Ponte della Maddalena was constructed, the builder was horrified to find that on the eve of its completion it began to crumble. How he would be punished by the town authorities! He was sitting on the bridge, head in his hands in despair, when the devil appeared to him and offered him a deal: the devil would magically repair the bridge that night, but in return he would claim the soul of the first person to cross the completed construction. Desperate, the builder agreed.

The next day all of the townspeople turned out to witness the official opening of the mighty bridge. It was beautiful. It was a feat of engineering. The builder was overcome by all the praise, and his guilt rose up and engulfed him. He found himself seeking out the bishop of the province and confessing to his deal with the devil. The bishop was a canny man, and so he sent a pig first across the bridge. Up came the devil to claim his soul. He was most unimpressed to be confronted by a snorting animal, and in his rage he blasted an immense hole beneath the bridge which would claim the people who fell when the bridge  broke.

And yet, years went by – hundreds of years – and the bridge remained strong and intact. Still, those walking across the bridge are not complacent: the devil is waiting still for that soul, so if any person stands too long on the bridge the waters will come up and sweep them under, down, down, down…

Deliciously chilling, don’t you think?