Piazza Elio Callistio until the 50s of the last century, was named chair of the Devil. Actuallythe same hinabitants changed the name, tired of living in a place whit this name so evil! Today some of them have even lost their memory of the original function of this monument by the ominous name. If you ask around, they could tell you many wrong facts: it is a Roman house, a medieval tower, or more generally four stones placed there in the middle of the square (you know that Rome is full of rocks!). Indeed it is a roman tomb of temple-type on two floors. It Seems to have been the tomb of Callistio Elio, a freedman of the Emperor Hadrian who lived in the second century after Christ. And what does Elio Callistio has in common with the devil? Absolutely nothing. The name is due to the evil shape that the building has taken after the collapse of the façade. It reminds a chair of the type of those of the bishop. Today the ruins is surrounded by 8 floors buildings, but during the Middle Ages rose isolated on a hill in the Roman countryside, along the Nomentana road. At night it became a refuge for misfits, prostitutes and people of ill repute. So you can imagine the impression that a similar building could evoke and the stories of popular origin that might arise. According to the legend, the devil himself would place his chair here in the countryside with her back to St. Peter's Basilica ...
If you go there today, you'll still see visible signs of blackening caused by fires (ancient, but also more recent, since a few decades ago this was still a rural area frequented by shepherds).
Some spell, however, must have been ... First of all, now that the name has changed, all people continue to call it the Devil's Chair, so that in the square there is also a pub with this name, and last, but not least, this chair seems to be today a diabolical roundabout swallowed by parked cars. It will be a spell of the devil!