The Buso dei Briganti has always been frequented as an observation point over the plain, from which the obligatory routes could be monitored. This singular geological formation has served, over the years, as a watchtower, fortress, clandestine powder magazine, and hideout for bandits.
The Porta dei Briganti opens to a natural terrace that provided an excellent view of the surrounding plain, from which lookouts signaled to accomplices in the valley the arrival of carriages to be robbed. It is also said that the door could be closed with a heavy gate.
The legend tells that a group of the most fearsome bandits in history was captured right near the Buso dei Briganti and was then publicly hanged in Este. Only one escaped, remaining hidden in the Buso dei Briganti and making it his home. He became known as a hermit and one day saved an injured woodsman by carrying him on his back to the nearest village, thereby redeeming his misdeeds. He died the next day, right at the Buso dei Briganti, and there a almond tree was born, the first to bloom every spring, fueling the legend of this place.
