The popular imaginary describes San Romedio in two main legends collected in the literary genre called "fioretti" - small sacrifices. They both take place during the last period of the saint's life.
The first one, more famous, concerns a particular moment of San Remedio's life, when he had to face a bear. Romedio wanted to go to Trento for his last visit to his bishop Vigil. He asked his disciple to saddle a horse, but the young man came back frightened since a bear was tearing the horse to pieces. The old hermit did not get upset and asked the young man to bridle the bear. Davide trusted the hermit and saw the bear bowed quietly and got bridled and saddled. So the saint could get to Trento riding the bear.
Reminding this episode, in 1958 the count and senator G. G. Gallarati Scotti, member of the foundation committee of WWf Italy, bought a bear called Charlie - and destined to death and its skin sold - and gave it to the Sanctuary of San Romedio. Nowadays, the autonomous Province of Trento protects the last bears in the Alps in the Adamello-Brenta National Park and, near the Sanctuary, takes care of the little bears born in captivity in Trento. The aim is to protect them in order to avoid the extinction of the few bears that still go about in the woods.
The Second legend tells the story of the last meeting between Romedio and Vigil. During this meeting Romedio told his friend that he would have advised him of his death by making a bell of the church toll. The legend says that it happened so and as Vigil heard the bell tolling he kneed and prayed will all the population of Trento for the death of the Saint.
