The Saracen’s invasion of the city of Leverano was one of the bloodiest in history... At that time, a young stonemason had just married and had built....

At that time, a young stonemason had just married and had built a house with his own hands on a small plot of land owned by his family for many generations. He was a simple man and had never travelled far from that land, he never thought of fleeing and would rather have died than see his house ransacked and his wife violated by invaders. The night before the Saracens came, the young man put his wife on a wagon drawn by a mule and paid the farm-workers to keep her safe. Despite his wife’s tears, he decided to stay in the place where he had chosen to live. During the night, struck by terror, he called upon Santo Stefano to prevent the Saracens from destroying the home he had so lovingly built. The morning after, with the Saracen soldiers on the horizon, there were no traces of the man to be found.
A large white stone appeared on the doorstep, as if to protect it. The Saracens, dazzled by the sun’s reflections on the white, smooth stone, didn’t dare approach. The stone still stands today, guarding the lands that have become part of the Santo Stefano estate.