Monte Vettore

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Monte Vettore is a mountain on the border between Umbria and the Marche lies today in Italy's "Parco Nazionale dei Monti Sibillini", National Park of the Mount of the Sibyl. Today climbers reach it from the Umbrian side from Norcia, or from the Marche, from Ascoli Piceno. Below the peak, in a small enclosed valley are the two small lakes called the Laghetti di Pilato, at an altitude of 1940 metres, where the body of a remorseful Pontius Pilate was buried in the waters (see Pontius Pilate). . [link]

The local medieval tradition was that the Apennine Sibyl, was a mysterious prophetess not counted among the Sibyls of Classical Antiquity, condemned by God to dwell in a mountain cavern, awaiting Judgement Day, having rebelled at the news that she had not been chosen to be Mother of God, but that some humble Judaean virgin had been favored. The peak of Monte Vettore, surrounded by reddish cliffs was recognized as the crown of Regina Sibilla.

In the romance of an unknown Italian poet, the central episode of an unknown section contains the "prodigious adventures" of Guerrino with this enchantress, the "Fata", the Sibylla Alcina, whom he seeks out, against all advice. He locates her cavern in the mountains of central Italy with the aid of Macco, a speaking Serpent (symbolism). She shows him the delights and horrors of her cavern, where sinners have been changed to the appropriate animals, but where sin is the only path to the knowledge of his real parents that he seeks, and Guerrin has to flee [Abstract].

The long informative captions in the maps of Ortelius' atlas, Cartographia Neerlandica, offer some detail about this Apennine Sybil:

The Mountain Apennine here looms over the country with exceedingly high cragged tops, in which one finds that huge cave called the Sibylla's cave, (in their language Grotta de la Sibylla) and which the poets believe to be the stairway to Elysium. For the common people dream about a certain Sibylla, named Alcine who was supposed to be in this cave, and she claimed to possess a large house full of gorgeous treasures and Princely riches, surrounded by a pleasant garden, abounding with many fine wells and all kinds of pleasures and delights. All of these she says she will bestow on those who through this cave (which is always open)and will come to her. But she lies, as this cave possesses nothing but woe and despair, which she must dwell in for all eternity, and misery loves company, because of her rebellion. This cave is also known to our countrymen by the name of, that is, The Lady Venus mount.

Locally the Sibilla was in some sense a malignant Fata whose retinue would descend from her mountain at times to frighten the village children. But if they weren't back in their mountain homes by sunrise, they would be denied access and die, because a priest was bound to see them and cast them away from their village. On one occasion, what with enjoying her retinue's haunt, the Sibyl had not noticed the approach of dawn, and forgot to alert her retinue. Scrambling up the Vettore, their feet crushed the rock to fragments. They could not reach the safety of their grotto before dawn, so she remains alone.

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