At the corner of via Cappel Verde and via Porta Palatina once stood a shop whose owner's mastery of the magical arts was said to be capable of solving any problem. People seeked her aid to cast hexes and curses on rivals, to unravel those cast on themselves, or to buy potions of the most various sorts. When the plague hit the city in 1630, the witch started selling a "prayer to St. Zachary", inscribed on strips of blessed parchment, the price of which varied according to the buyer's wealth. Baffling though it may sound, the shop remained in activity until the late 18th century, passed from mother to daughter alongside their mystical family secrets.