Mario Moiraghi, an Italian scholar, now claims that the legend of Arthur's sword Excalibur originated in Italy rather than Celtic Britain. In his new book The Enigma of San Galgano, Italian scholar Mario Moiraghi claims that the Excalibur legend originated not in Britain but in 12th century Tuscany where a sword was embedded in a rock in an abbey by Saint Galgano, a lusty Italian knight who plunged the sword into the rock after renouncing his worldy life. His sword is preserved in a gothic abbey in Montesiepi, near Sienna. Galgano's story parallels that of Sir Percival and the story of the Holy Grail. Moiraghi also claims that many of the other elements of the Arthurian legend came from Persia, brought to the west by merchants. The tale of the Italian Excalibur predates Chretien de Troyes' Perceval by a decade.

To read the complete story, visit the website.