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Forlì Noir

Forlì-Cesena

An itinerary, to discover the places and buildings that in the various historical periods were scenes of ambushes and vendettas, crime stories and gory events, often surrounded in mistery or to become legendary.

  • Rocca of Ravaldino – Here was found the corpse of a twelve year old child, dead under mysterious circumstances in the July of 1480. This child was Sinibaldo, only child of the Lord of Forlì, Pino III Ordelaffi. The body was never found nor searched according to the reports of the time. Sinibaldo was next for the continuation of the lordship but the city of Forlì had already been promised by the Pope to his grandson, Gerolamo Riario, and Sinibaldo, could only be considered a hindrance dead as when he was alive.
  • Church of Ravaldino – here is preserved the crucifix that between the Seventeenth and Eighteenth century, was used during death sentences.
  • Piazza Saffi – the first May 1282, the soldiers of the Ghibelline Forlì, led by Guido da Montefeltro, smite in a very gory battle the best of the French and Italian Guelph army sent by the pope Martin IV to subdue the rebellious Forlì. That was how it acquired Dante’s quote of “sanguinary heap” (“The city which once made the long resistance/And of the French a sanguinary heap” – Dante, Inferno XXVII,44). The fallen were honorably buried, thanks to the intervention of the “Batutti Neri” confraternity, in a huge common pit and to remember a chapel was built, the so-called “Crocetta”, almost at the front side compared to the present via Allegretti, that was later demolished in 1616. For many years the great piazza was the place where the death executions took place. Although there was no lack of horrifying scenes, the most atrocious one was that of the decapitation of Tommaso di ser Filippo (11 December 1432) which entrusted to an inexperienced executioner, received fourteen chops before dying. Another clamorous, horrible fiasco took place the 19 March 1801 when still in the piazza, was set up for the first time the guillotine, built by Giuseppe Berti from Bologna. The two sentenced, kings of murder, were such Miglietti and Brunini. The latter was the first to put his neck in the guillotine but the blade fell down three times on the nape of the poor wretch without detaching the head, so the vile work was finished with a knife, between the screams of horror of the crowd and those of the poor Brunini that was slaughtered like a pig. Given the terrible outcome of the guillotine Miglietti was shot and the clumsy creator of that grim doohickey took three months of jail.
  • Palazzo Malmesi – scene of the most grim and known “bloody event” of Forlì. Alberto Malmesi and his fiancé Dionilla Dal Pozzo had disappered from December 1914. It was said to be a romantic escape or a sudden change of city. In March 1915, a boy declared to have seen being transported from the outhouse of via Maroncelli two big bundles, similar to rolled carpets from which dangled a stripped arm. From this testimony started the most extraordinary affair noirof the city. The police investigations were thorough and launched in the dormant city methods of scientific research that astounded the people.
  • Via Moroni – tight and dark lane close to Corso Garibaldi. Here was attacked Michele Placucci (1782-1840) the night of 30 March 1840. A violent stab wound pierced one of his lungs, causing his death, after a long agony the 2nd April. Placucci seemed to have recognized his attacker but he never revealed the name.
  • Palazzo del Signore – here took place the episode of defenestration of Count Gerolamo Riario that represents the conclusion of a political phase during which the city of Forlì, with all of its social components tried to remove an unwanted and dangerous lordship. A long serie of conspiracies had failed but lastly a group of people, among them the brothers Checco and Ludovico Orsi, Lodovico Pansecco, Giacomo del Ronco decided to conjure the eternal battle between freedom and tyranny to justify the killing. Checco Orsi the night of 14 April 1488 showed up in presence of the Count with the intention of dinning in the Room of the Nymphs. Resorting to an excuse to get close to him, he stabbed him in his stomach and was immediately reached by his accomplices. A hit to the head, this time deadly, and Riario laid on the ground. Meanwhile in piazza Ludovico Orsi instigated to revolt and freedom, trying to gather people and cause an uprising. Easily overtaken a first, weak resistance from the relatives of the Count, Checco went downstairs with a group of soldiers. The body of the Count was thrown out of the window from the hall from the side of the piazza, the third from the left starting from the left side of the façade, where it was torn apart and literary ripped to shreds. At the arrival of the crowd the guard soldiers escaped, leaving the wife of Riario, Caterina Sforza, to be captured and brought to the house of the Orsi, while the crowd raided palazzo dei Signori.
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