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The Stone of Saint Varena: A Sacred Healer in Villa del Foro.

In the small village of Villa del Foro, near Alessandria in northern Italy, a remarkable stone is embedded in the outer wall of the local church. Known as the “Stone of Saint Varena”, it is the object of ancient legends and healing rituals that blend pagan origins with Christian devotion.A Pagan Altar Turned Sacred

According to tradition, the stone was once a pagan altar, possibly used in pre-Christian religious rites. Legend tells that Saint Varena, a German woman coming back from Egypt said to be part of the Theban Legion in the 4th century, lifted this heavy stone onto her shoulders and carried it to the heart of the village. There, she instructed the construction of a church where it now remains, set into the façade as a sacred relic.

Interestingly, the name “Varena” (or “Vareina” in the local dialect) is associated with the meaning “healer”, reinforcing her legendary powers and the stone’s therapeutic role.

Healing Ritual and Local “Mantra”
To this day, the stone is believed to hold healing powers, especially for back pain, rheumatic conditions, and kidney issues.

The traditional ritual involves:

Touching the stone with the afflicted part of the body (often the back),

Making the sign of the cross,

And reciting a local healing phrase (almost like a mantra) in dialect, which goes:

“Santa Vareina, Santa Vareina, famme passè l’mal de scheina”
(Saint Varena, Saint Varena, take away my back pain)

This practice is still observed by locals and pilgrims alike, reflecting the enduring belief in the stone’s curative power.

A Christianized Megalithic Cult
The legend and devotion surrounding the Stone of Saint Varena is widely considered a Christian reinterpretation of an older megalithic tradition. Like many sacred stones throughout Europe, what was once a prehistoric or Celtic site of worship was absorbed into the Christian faith—its powers preserved but reattributed to a saint.

Every year on September 1st, the village holds a procession in honor of Saint Varena, continuing a ritual connection to the sacred landscape and reinforcing communal identity.

The stone is known among the elders of the area by this name, the “Sasso dell’Olio”, although no one remembers exactly why. Still, the basin at the top clearly suggests that it once held oil, likely for ritual or practical use.

The best way to visit these places is through a day-long hike, allowing time to fully immerse yourself in the landscape. The area is rich in local folklore, with many legends still surviving. The names of saints often seem to echo ancient deities or local spirits, and stories abound of fairies and devils said to inhabit the deep gullies (calanchi) and the numerous springs scattered across the valleys.

Many place names, of hills, streams, and villages, are of Celtic or pre-Christian origin, further deepening the sense of a land shaped by layers of spiritual and cultural history.

Below are additional images from the hike, along with a selection of useful links and notes for those interested in exploring further.

The Stone of Montechiaro and the Witches’ Stones of the Langhe and Monferrato: while no specific legends or stories are currently known about the large stone near Montechiaro d’Acqui, a standing in a clearing by the road between Acqui Terme and Spigno, it shares several features with what local folklore throughout Piedmont refers to as “pietre delle masche” (witches’ stones). These are ancient stones, monoliths, or sacred rocks that were often believed to be linked to the presence of masche, something like witches or magical women in the Piedmontese tradition.

Such stones are scattered across the Langhe and Monferrato regions and are frequently associated with pre-Christian rituals, weather manipulation, or supernatural phenomena. Often located in isolated or elevated spots, these stones were believed to be charged with power. In some tales, people avoided them out of fear, while in others they were seen as sites for nocturnal gatherings or places where the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead grew thin—especially during solstices or storms.

There are suggestions that a stone near Montechiaro d’Acqui, described in older accounts as being “near some ruins”, might belong to this category of legendary stones, even if no specific folklore has survived in written form. Its age and unexplained presence could indicate ancient use or symbolic meaning now lost.

Although no clear stories remain today, the context of local traditions surrounding similar stones suggests that it may once have been part of a mythical or ritual landscape, quietly echoing the ancient presence of the masche and their mysterious world.

The popular name of this stone came from a local legend. The “masche” (something like witches of the piemontese folklore) used these stones, this one is the only survived today, to perform magic and to call storms and tempests.

The name of this path (Sentiero Delle Anime – The Path of the Souls) comes from a local legend: the walk of the souls of the deads on this way from east to west, expecially in the night.