Chianca amara, located nearby Vieste’s cathedral, is a piece stone taken as symbol of human cruelty. Between July 18th and July 21st 1554, the bloodthirsty Turkish pirate Draguth Rais decapitated women, children and old people. (Draguth Rais was Barbarossa’s lieutenant, captain of the Turkish army of Suleiman the Magnificent).
The story tells that Draguth Rais went ashore Vieste’s coast with galleys because of a huge storm. He took the whole population by surprise during a city celebration and ordered to shoot almost hundred cannon shots against Vieste’s castle and walls.
All the citizens hided themselves in the cathedral and castle. Unfortunately, once the walls had been destroyed the pirates started to sack the city, especially Chianca Amara area, and kill disabled people, women, children and priests. The rest of the population was forced to join them on the galley to become slaves or a trade commodity.