Masciare

In Bari witches were called “gatte masciare”. They were women who turned into witches:
they threw the evil eye, climbed the roofs of the houses and made the children sick.
Near the Basilica of San Nicola there is an arch which is called “U arche d’la masciar”. Even today those who pass by there make the sign of the cross to ward off envy and avoid the evil eye.