On Wednesday, Netflix gave us two wildly different sides of Italy. The teaser for the upcoming fifth season of Emily in Paris (which, despite its title, will follow its protagonist to Rome) spotlighted tons of glitzy fashion and gorgeous locales.
Meanwhile, the new foreign drama The Monster of Florence showed a much darker side of the country… and its story has people buzzing. Based on Gianluca Monastra’s book, Il Mostro di Firenze, the show chronicles the story of “Eight double murders. Seventeen years of terror. Always the same weapon. A .22 caliber Beretta,” according to Netflix’s official description. “One of the longest and most complex Italian investigations into the first and most brutal serial killer in the country’s history: The Monster of Florence.”
That synopsis would surely lead people to believe that The Monster of Florence is based on a true story, but the specifics and the spellbinding nature of the show have still left people guessing. So, let’s unpack what we can.
Coined by crime reporter Mario Spezi, the name “The Monster of Florence” is used in association to a number of double murders that occurred between 1968 and 1985. Each case had some things in common: the murders occurred in the countryside just outside of Florence, on moonless nights between 10pm and midnight, and usually concerned couples who were in the throes of passion. The .22 caliber Beretta pistol, and the distinctive markings it left on the rim of each of its shells, also provided a connection between the cases. There were also several instances of female victims being found with their sexual organs carved out.
You might hear that and immediately think about America’s own run-in with the Zodiac Killer, which still transfixes parts of the Internet to this day. The Monster of Florence even sent his own letters and trophies to the authorities, with one female prosecutor reportedly receiving a ransom note made from cut-up magazines, as well as the nipple of the most recent female victim.
But one major difference of The Monster of Florence might be the timeline of these murders, which took place over years instead of the Zodiac’s truncated timeline. One occurred in 1968, but the next didn’t occur until 1974, and then the murderer took a hiatus again until 1981. From that point onward, one couple was killed each year (that we know of) through 1985.
Unfortunately, like the Zodiac, the larger case of the Monster of Florence is still unsolved. Related cases have led to the conviction of four men, and according to The Atlantic, “More than 100,000 men have been investigated and more than a dozen arrested, and scores of lives have been ruined by rumor and false accusations.” But as recently as 2024, authorities were analyzing DNA that could be tied to the case, meaning there has yet to be a conclusive answer.
While The Monster of Florence is a dramatized version of the ordeal, maybe its global release (and inevitably popularity) on Netflix will eventually lead to more answers being found.
(featured image: Netflix)
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