The latest Netflix Italian-language original, ‘The Monster of Florence’, arrives just in time for Halloween. Except this monster is no phantom.
The four-part Monster of Florence miniseries is available from Thursday, October 22nd, dramatises the story of one of Italy’s most prolific serial killers.
The real Mostro di Firenze
The so-called Mostro di Firenze (Monster of Florence) targeted young couples in the outskirts of Florence between the late 1960s and mid-1980s, murdering at least 14 people. This series of double homicides was committed by a serial killer or killers whose identity remains unknown to this day.
The victims were attacked mostly in their cars while parked in secluded locations late at night. Most were locals from the Florence area, along with two German university students and a French couple, both on holiday.
The crimes, which grew increasingly gruesome as time went on, were finally linked when it was discovered that the same type of gun was used in all of them.
Who is ‘The Monster’?
Endless theories have been put forward over the decades, ranging from a satanic cult to the Zodiac Killer. A handful of people were arrested (and later released when the killings continued), and more than one man served prison time for the crimes.
Police narrowed in on their prime suspect in 1994. Ten years after the last known murders occurred, a farmer named Pietro Pacciani was convicted of some of the slayings. His conviction was later overturned on appeal, but police still felt that he – or perhaps a group of killers led by Pacciani – were guilty of the crimes.
Though Pacciani died awaiting retrial, two of his alleged accomplices were found guilty of the murders. Mario Vanni and Giancarlo Lotti were convicted of several of the murders linked to Il Mostro. The pair have since died in jail.
Despite Vanni and Lotti serving time for their alleged involvement in at least some of the murders, the sense remains that the truth about this case has yet to be uncovered.
A new lead
Modern DNA testing could be the breakthrough the case has been waiting for.
In 2024, it was reported that new DNA had been obtained that, according to the doctor analysing the sample, Lorenzo Iovino, does not match the victims or anyone who has been convicted of the crime. The update sparked speculation that the true Monster of Florence has still not been brought to justice.
READ ALSO: DNA samples spur new questions in Italy's 'Monster of Florence' cold case
The new DNA could become crucial evidence if a relevant comparison DNA sample from a potential suspect is procured.
The new Netflix show
Netflix’s upcoming miniseries based on these true events is the fruit of a years-long project by Italian director Stefano Sollima, best known for co-directing the hit show Gomorrah.
Sollima spent more than a year immersed in researching the unsolved Monster of Florence case and shot most of the new series on location in Florence.
Available to stream on Netflix on October, 22 2025
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