The place, indicated in maps from 1774 as the ‘working home of Mr Bartolini’, now includes some refurbished farms and a restaurant built in the sixties of the twentieth century as a place of refreshment for the attached stables. In those years the presence of the stables and the restaurant was a novelty and met with considerable success, so much so that the locals renamed the place ‘I Cavalli’ (The Horses), replacing the ancient and curious name Bencistà. The stables remained active for a few years and now only restaurant names the location.
As regard the origin of the name Bencistà there are some myths. The first circulated at the end of the nineteenth century among the peasants of Terzano and narrated that:
“One day, some nuns from the monastery on top of Monte Cucco, against the advice of the Mother Superior, went for a walk; when they were surprised by a storm, they exclaimed: – Ben ci stà! (It serves us right)»
Amongst the oldest inhabitants of Terzano the memory of this myth still exists and in more recent years, some told the story of some nuns who exclaimed in this very place: “Ben ci sta! Ci sta il dovere!” (It serves us right! It’s our duty!)
There’s also a second story as told by the old inhabitants of the Bigallo:
“When the French soldiers descended from l’Apparita towards Florence, a few nuns, frightened, fled from the monastery; after a while walking they were caught in a storm, they took shelter under an oak tree, but lightning struck and killed one of them. The survivors repented and said: ‘Ben ci sta’! Dovevamo rimanere al Bigallo!’ (‘It serves us right! We should have stayed at the Bigallo!’) This incident occurred in the place where the tabernacle now lies.”
The third legend, also referred to by the old inhabitants of the place, says that some nuns:
harassed by villains in their monastery, had taken refuge in this place, having felt better, exclaimed: “Ben si stà!” (‘We are good here’)
