Legend of the foundation of Pollina
Carlo Columba - CC2.5
Two legends tell the birth of the village of Pollina, the first traces its foundation back to the ancient Greeks, the second links its birth to a great love.
The first legend has it that on the peak on which the village of Pollina stands today there once stood a temple dedicated to Apollo, hence the name of the village Apollonia and later Pollina. So Pollina, according to legend, was born as a town sacred to Apollo, the god of poetry, oracles, light and the sun.
The second legend tells of a great love between an Arab vizier, Ayub, and the Norman princess Polina. The Norman princess, in order to crown her love story with the Arab vizier, finds herself forced to flee with her man due to the opposition of her brothers. It is said that the two young people wandered for a long time in search of a place that was suitable for defending themselves from her brothers and which, at the same time, was worthy of a princess. Pollina became their fortress and their love nest.
