The poor Friorosa and the miracle of the Isili's fountain

According to legend a shepherd of Isili had three daughters. The first two enjoyed good health, were very pretty and happy. The youngest, instead, was always ill, pale and cold even in summer time. They used to call her “Friorosa”, that means feeling cold.

Every job, even the easiest one, cost her big effort. This made her feel sad, as she would have liked to help more her family. With the shepherd and the three girls, used to live also a young relative of them. He was good looking and good-tempered. The first two daughters were really kind with him. One day Friorosa wanted to do something nice for him too, and she tried to wash his shirt but, as she touched the sink icy water, her hand turned livid and she could not move her fingers for hours.

Few weeks later, Friorosa tried to caress his face, but he felt a strong cold shiver and she run away ashamed and sad. Always more withdrawn, she cried and invoked the help of God to give her at least one opportunity to feel a little bit of happiness.

On a good summer day, she join her family and the relative for the trip near the little church of San Sebastiano, where there was a water fountain. They happily left, singing and laughing but unfortunately, after hours of walking, they could not find the fountain and not even the little country church: they looked around carefully, but they did not find the way. They started to worry and, tired even because of the hot temperature, slumped to the ground.

Friorosa said to them: “Go and look for a stream to get some water. I'll wait you here.I'm exhausted”. Effectively, she endured her strength more than as usual, but she did not want to ruin the feast day. She sat down next to a big stone of granite and, upset about what was happening, she prayed God to transform her into a water fountain: “I'm cold like snow, I would like to be useful at least this time. Lord, please make me dissolve in water to let them drink”.

The miracle was performed, and when her relatives extremely tired came back to the rock, they found a fountain that no one had seen it before. They drank the fresh water coming out of the granite but, when they looked for Friorosa, they could not find her. Even nowadays, some people are ready to swear that somewhere around Isili countryside, there is a fountain of water with a big granite stone on the top.