The TimesA small town in northern Italy will this year celebrate the bloody battle fought locally in 1517 between two mighty armies that slaughtered each other to the last man
is aiming to boost tourism with historical re-enactments as well as a film about a gory clash that shocked and enthralled 16th-century Europe
The only catch is that the battle never happened
Witnesses who gave horrific accounts of body parts flying through the air are believed to have been the victims of mass hallucinations caused by fungus in the local rye bread
The town of Verdellino is celebrating its unusual history“It’s called ergotism and it can provoke some pretty strong visions of things that do not exist,” said Riccardo Scotti
LSD-type <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/article/dancing-in-the-streets-of-strasbourg-9wfng5t2q" class="link__RespLink-sc-1ocvixa-0 csWvlP">hallucinations likely caused</a>