Valle Leumbroso is a valley some forty or fifty kilometers from Florence, reached by the road “to tragedy” through the village of Traditori, whose forest is home to three witches, each embodying a sin.
| Type | Place (valley) |
| Location | 40–50 km from Florence |
| Spanish entry | Valle Leumbroso |
Geography
It is “a kind of valley”. Part of it “begins in the hills of Fiesole”, and a road leads from Fiesole specifically there. The way descends from the hills into a poor, tragic zone, with the forest at the bottom. The road passes the area of the village of Traditori—“traitors and tragic ones”. The alternative is “by the river, which is faster”.
The valley is named alongside a larger region: “It is the whole part of the Valle de Hombrosa. It is larger and includes the sources of the Arno”—the Valle de Casentino. The sources of the Arno belong to the Casentino, not to the valley proper.
The valley is described as a “zone of tragedy and poverty”. Its reach is local.
The three witches
Exactly three witches live in the forest: “not only is there the witch of lust. There is the witch of pride. The witch of avarice.” They prefer men: “these women do not want virgin women. They want men. They want lust.” They are stronger at night and during storms.
Open questions
- Whether the Casentino contains, overlaps or is another name for the Leumbroso is unresolved.
- The swift river is not named; the Arno is likely but not stated.
- The forest’s trees, the settlements and the roads are not described; Traditori’s population, livelihood and dealings with the witches are unknown, as is who governs the valley.
- The witches’ faces, kin, dwellings, the fate of their prey, and why they reject virgin women are unknown.
- Whether attacking the witches “at the night tree” (en el árbol nocturno) refers to a place, a time of day or a misheard word is unclear.