Colobraro

Colobraro is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. The town is positioned on a high hill dominating the valley of river Sinni near the town of Valsinni. The hamlet is known as the "village without name": its name is considered bringer of bad luck in the towns around, where Colobraro is usually mentioned in the local dialects simply as chillu paese, cudd' puaise or chill' pais, all simply meaning "that village". This notoriety, which has in recent years spread all over Italy, began during the first decades of the 20th century and seems to have been sparked by a story concerning a famous lawyer from the town, who once would have said something like: "... if the lamp in this courtroom should fall down." Unfortunately for him and for the town's reputation, suddenly the big lamp fell to the floor, and the implication of misfortune began at that time. References