Renato Vallanzasca
Encyclopedia
Renato Vallanzasca Costantini (Milan
, May 4, 1950) is a notorious Italian mobster from Milan who was a powerful figure in the Milanese underworld during the 1970s. Following numerous robberies, kidnappings, murders, and many years as a fugitive, he is currently serving four consecutive life sentences with an additional 290 years in prison, but with permission to work outside during the day. This enables him to go to work every morning in a workshop in the periphery of Milan, making bags from recycled material. He is a local celebrity in Milan, famous for appealing to part of the public opinion for his image linked to the "myth of the bandit".
Vallanzasca was born in via Porpora 162, in the Lambrate
district where his mother owned a clothing store. He was given the surname of his mother because his biological father, Osvaldo Pistoia, was already married to another woman by whom he had three children.
Vallanzasca became involved in criminal activities early in his childhood. His first arrest occurred at the age of eight for having tried to let a tiger out of its cage, which belonged to a circus that had tented near his house. He was apprehended the following day and taken to Cesare Beccaria detention home. Because of this act he was legally compelled to move into an aunt's house, in via degli Apuli, in the district of Giambellino, in the southern periphery of Milan, practically on the opposite side of the city.
.
Within a short period, Vallanzasca accumulated a lot of money due to the numerous robberies and thefts carried out by his gang, and began to live an extravagant lifestyle: he took to wearing expensive designer clothes, driving luxury cars and would usually be seen in the company of beautiful women. His looks earned him the nickname "Il bel Renè" (the handsome Renè), a nickname he detested.
His smooth and successful criminal career was interrupted for the first time in 1972 when, ten days after the robbery of a supermarket, he was arrested by men belonging to the squadra mobile (flying squad) headed by Achille Serra
. Serra later claimed that during the search of his house, Vallanzasca unstrung his gold Rolex
wrist watch and put it on a table, telling him, "If you succeed in tying this to me, it is yours". A few minutes later, warrant officer Oscuri found some shreds of paper in the dustbin, which, once put together, showed a list of salaries of the employees in the supermarket previously robbed.
As a result, Vallanzasca was convicted and sent to the San Vittore penitentiary. During the four and a half years of imprisonment, he unsuccessfully attempted to escape from the prison more than once. In addition to the failed escape attempts, he was involved in numerous fights and beatings, and was also an active participant in the various prison riots which erupted in the local prison environment during this period. These factors caused him to be transferred to 36 different prisons within a four and a half year period. Eventually, he found a way of escaping by voluntarily contracting Hepatitis
. He did this by ingesting rotten eggs, injecting urine intravenously into his blood stream and inhaling propane gas. He was then transferred to the hospital, where he managed to escape with the help of a complacent policeman.
. There he was again recaptured. At this time, Vallanzasca had just turned 27 years old.
After his return to prison, in 1979 Vallanzasca married his girlfriend, Giuliana Brusa. His former enemy and Milanese crime boss, Francis Turatello
acted as best man, thus sealing a temporary alliance between the two. On August 17, 1981, Turatello was eventually assassinated at the Bad'e Carros, the high security prison in Nuoro
, Sardinia
, by a Neapolitan Camorrista Pasquale Barra
, along with Vincenzo Andraus and Antonino Faro, two Sicilian Mafiosi from Catania
, Sicily
. The hit had been ordered by Raffaele Cutolo
, the boss of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata
.
On April 28, 1980, Vallanzasca again attempted to escape from the San Vittore prison in Milan. During time in the open air, a group of prisoners mysteriously produced three guns, and managed to make headway taking a brigadiere (roughly, a prison guard sergeant), Romano Saccoccio, as hostage. A firefight commenced in the streets of Milan, and followed in the underground tunnels. A wounded Vallanzasca was arrested together with nine other companions who escaped.
prison, in 1981, he helped to set in motion a prison revolt in which some pentiti
, or collaborators with Italian Justice lost their lives. Among them was a former member of his gang, Massimo Loi. According to Achille Serra, the young man who was in his early twenties had decided to abandon the path of crime and begin a new life in the legitimate world. However, Vallanzasca armed with a knife and supported by the prison crowd would not allow him to leave the prison unharmed. Loi was cornered inside his prison cell, alone and unarmed. Assisted by others, Vallanzasca repeatedly stabbed him in the chest with a knife, committing further atrocities on his mutilated corpse, finally beheading him. In an interview with L'Espresso
on April 2, 2006, Vallanzasca vehemently denied any responsibility for the murder of Loi.
However, it is certain that Vallanzasca participated with high responsibility in the revolt at the Novara prison, during which two people were killed, one of which was Massimo Loi. It seems that Vallanzasca, in reality, was distanced from the gruesome episode, because there were others involved, as also they attest to the confessions of those days and dynamics of the revolt.
Sentenced to a harsh prison term, Vallanzasca succeeded in tricking the police officers and managed to escape on July 18, 1987 through a porthole of the ferry which carried him to Asinara
, Sardinia
. It was stopped at a traffic control post less than three weeks after, while it was trying to reach Trieste
. After returning to prison, Vallanzasca again tried escaping from prison in 1995, this time from the Nuoro
prison. In this escape attempt, he was accused and suspected of having been aided by his lawyer, with whom he had close links.
Since 1999, Valanzasca has been incarcerated at the maximum security prison in Voghera
. At the beginning of May, 2005, after having received the special permit of three hours to meet his elderly mother, he formalized the request of grace, sending a letter to the Ministry of Justice, and the magistrate of surveillance of Pavia
. On July 15, 2007, his mother, Mary had written to the Italian president Giorgio Napolitano
and the minister of Justice, Clemente Mastella
, requesting clemency for her son. On September 15, 2007, he was notified of the refusal of clemency by the head of state, and continued serving his sentence at the Opera prison in Milan.
On May 8, 2008, he married his childhood friend, Antonella D'Agostino. The marriage was formalised with a civil ceremony on May 5, 2008. Renato Vallanzasca has recently opened a blog (www.renatovallanzasca.it), which is currently being managed by a third party.
From March 2010, Vallanzasca is allowed to work outside jail
as laborer so he can leave jail every day at 7:30 and come back at 19:00.
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, May 4, 1950) is a notorious Italian mobster from Milan who was a powerful figure in the Milanese underworld during the 1970s. Following numerous robberies, kidnappings, murders, and many years as a fugitive, he is currently serving four consecutive life sentences with an additional 290 years in prison, but with permission to work outside during the day. This enables him to go to work every morning in a workshop in the periphery of Milan, making bags from recycled material. He is a local celebrity in Milan, famous for appealing to part of the public opinion for his image linked to the "myth of the bandit".
Early life
Lambrate
Lambrate is a district of Milan, Italy, located within the Zone 3 administrative division, 6 km north-east of the city centre. It owes its name to the Lambro river that traverses the area. Lambrate houses one the major railway station of north-eastern Milan, the Stazione di Milano Lambrate...
district where his mother owned a clothing store. He was given the surname of his mother because his biological father, Osvaldo Pistoia, was already married to another woman by whom he had three children.
Vallanzasca became involved in criminal activities early in his childhood. His first arrest occurred at the age of eight for having tried to let a tiger out of its cage, which belonged to a circus that had tented near his house. He was apprehended the following day and taken to Cesare Beccaria detention home. Because of this act he was legally compelled to move into an aunt's house, in via degli Apuli, in the district of Giambellino, in the southern periphery of Milan, practically on the opposite side of the city.
Banda della Comasina
It was during this time that he formed his own gang of children involved in theft and shoplifting. In spite of his young age, Vallanzasca was already a gang leader and began to make a name for himself in the ligera, the old Milanese underworld, with whom he began to collaborate. But shortly thereafter, resenting the rules of the old criminal underworld, he decided to form his own criminal outfit called the Banda della Comasina, which soon grew to become the most powerful and ferocious criminal group in Milan during those years. The Banda della Comasina was a strong rival and enemy to the gang which was headed by Francis TuratelloFrancis Turatello
Francesco Turatello was an important Italian crime figure, and mob boss who operated during the seventies mainly in the city of Milan. He was popularly known by his pseudonym Francis Turatello...
.
Within a short period, Vallanzasca accumulated a lot of money due to the numerous robberies and thefts carried out by his gang, and began to live an extravagant lifestyle: he took to wearing expensive designer clothes, driving luxury cars and would usually be seen in the company of beautiful women. His looks earned him the nickname "Il bel Renè" (the handsome Renè), a nickname he detested.
First arrest and escape
Achille Serra (politician)
Achille Serra is an Italian policeman, official and politician. He was prefect of Ancona, Palermo, Florence and Rome....
. Serra later claimed that during the search of his house, Vallanzasca unstrung his gold Rolex
Rolex
Rolex SA is a Swiss watchmaking manufacturer of high-quality, luxury wristwatches. Rolex watches are popularly regarded as status symbols and BusinessWeek magazine ranks Rolex No.71 on its 2007 annual list of the 100 most valuable global brands...
wrist watch and put it on a table, telling him, "If you succeed in tying this to me, it is yours". A few minutes later, warrant officer Oscuri found some shreds of paper in the dustbin, which, once put together, showed a list of salaries of the employees in the supermarket previously robbed.
As a result, Vallanzasca was convicted and sent to the San Vittore penitentiary. During the four and a half years of imprisonment, he unsuccessfully attempted to escape from the prison more than once. In addition to the failed escape attempts, he was involved in numerous fights and beatings, and was also an active participant in the various prison riots which erupted in the local prison environment during this period. These factors caused him to be transferred to 36 different prisons within a four and a half year period. Eventually, he found a way of escaping by voluntarily contracting Hepatitis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
. He did this by ingesting rotten eggs, injecting urine intravenously into his blood stream and inhaling propane gas. He was then transferred to the hospital, where he managed to escape with the help of a complacent policeman.
Life as fugitive
After his escape, Vallanzasca reassembled his old gang and began a series of new robberies, which totalled seventy. These robberies caused a few deaths, including those of four policemen, a doctor and a bank employee. He also committed four kidnappings for ransom, two of which were never reported to the police. One of the gang's victims was Emanuela Trapani, the daughter of a local Milanese entrepreneur who was held captive for over a month and a half, from December, 1976 to January, 1977, and then released upon the payment of a ransom of one billion lire. This incident coupled with the killing of two highway patrolmen who had stopped the car on which he was travelling to evade capture, caused him to flee Milan for RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. There he was again recaptured. At this time, Vallanzasca had just turned 27 years old.
Return to prison
Francis Turatello
Francesco Turatello was an important Italian crime figure, and mob boss who operated during the seventies mainly in the city of Milan. He was popularly known by his pseudonym Francis Turatello...
acted as best man, thus sealing a temporary alliance between the two. On August 17, 1981, Turatello was eventually assassinated at the Bad'e Carros, the high security prison in Nuoro
Nuoro
Nuoro is a city and comune in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene. It is the capital of the Province of Nuoro. With a population of 36,443 Nuoro is a city and comune (municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, by a Neapolitan Camorrista Pasquale Barra
Pasquale Barra
Pasquale Barra is a former Italian Camorrista who was a senior member and hitman for the Nuova Camorra Organizzata , a Camorra organization in Naples. Barra has the distinction of being the first NCO member to become a pentito, when he decided to collaborate with Italian Justice in 1982.Barra...
, along with Vincenzo Andraus and Antonino Faro, two Sicilian Mafiosi from Catania
Catania
Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. The hit had been ordered by Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo
Raffaele Cutolo is an Italian crime boss and the charismatic leader of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata , an organisation he built to renew the Camorra. Cutolo has a variety of nicknames including "'o Vangelo" , "'o Principe" , "'o Professore" and "'o Monaco"...
, the boss of the Nuova Camorra Organizzata
Nuova Camorra Organizzata
The Nuova Camorra Organizzata was an Italian Camorra criminal organization founded in the late 1970s by a Neapolitan Camorrista, Raffaele Cutolo, in the region of Campania. It was also known by the initials NCO...
.
On April 28, 1980, Vallanzasca again attempted to escape from the San Vittore prison in Milan. During time in the open air, a group of prisoners mysteriously produced three guns, and managed to make headway taking a brigadiere (roughly, a prison guard sergeant), Romano Saccoccio, as hostage. A firefight commenced in the streets of Milan, and followed in the underground tunnels. A wounded Vallanzasca was arrested together with nine other companions who escaped.
The Novara prison riot
In the NovaraNovara
Novara is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With c. 105,000 inhabitants, it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is an important crossroads for commercial traffic along the routes from Milan to Turin...
prison, in 1981, he helped to set in motion a prison revolt in which some pentiti
Pentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
, or collaborators with Italian Justice lost their lives. Among them was a former member of his gang, Massimo Loi. According to Achille Serra, the young man who was in his early twenties had decided to abandon the path of crime and begin a new life in the legitimate world. However, Vallanzasca armed with a knife and supported by the prison crowd would not allow him to leave the prison unharmed. Loi was cornered inside his prison cell, alone and unarmed. Assisted by others, Vallanzasca repeatedly stabbed him in the chest with a knife, committing further atrocities on his mutilated corpse, finally beheading him. In an interview with L'Espresso
L'Espresso
l'Espresso is an Italian newsmagazine. It is one of the two most prominent Italian weeklies, the other being Panorama. Since the latter has been acquired by right-wing tycoon and politician Silvio Berlusconi, l'Espresso enjoys the reputation of being the main politically independent newsmagazine...
on April 2, 2006, Vallanzasca vehemently denied any responsibility for the murder of Loi.
However, it is certain that Vallanzasca participated with high responsibility in the revolt at the Novara prison, during which two people were killed, one of which was Massimo Loi. It seems that Vallanzasca, in reality, was distanced from the gruesome episode, because there were others involved, as also they attest to the confessions of those days and dynamics of the revolt.
More escape attempts
Asinara
Asinara is an Italian island of in area. The name is Italian for "donkey-inhabited", but it is thought to derive from the Latin "sinuaria", and meaning sinus-shaped. The island is virtually uninhabited. The census of population of 2001 lists one man. The island is located off the north-western...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. It was stopped at a traffic control post less than three weeks after, while it was trying to reach Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
. After returning to prison, Vallanzasca again tried escaping from prison in 1995, this time from the Nuoro
Nuoro
Nuoro is a city and comune in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene. It is the capital of the Province of Nuoro. With a population of 36,443 Nuoro is a city and comune (municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte...
prison. In this escape attempt, he was accused and suspected of having been aided by his lawyer, with whom he had close links.
Present Life
Voghera
thumb|250px|The Castle of Voghera in a 19th century etching.Voghera is a town and comune of Lombardy, Italy, in the province of Pavia...
. At the beginning of May, 2005, after having received the special permit of three hours to meet his elderly mother, he formalized the request of grace, sending a letter to the Ministry of Justice, and the magistrate of surveillance of Pavia
Pavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
. On July 15, 2007, his mother, Mary had written to the Italian president Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano is an Italian politician who has been the 11th President of Italy since 2006. A long-time member of the Italian Communist Party and later the Democrats of the Left, he served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1992 to 1994 and as Minister of the Interior from 1996 to...
and the minister of Justice, Clemente Mastella
Clemente Mastella
Mario Clemente Mastella is an Italian politician. He is currently leader of Popular-UDEUR, a minor centrist Italian party. He was Minister of Labour in the Berlusconi government from 10 May 1994 to 17 January 1995, and Minister of Justice in the Prodi government from 17 May 2006 to 17 January 2008...
, requesting clemency for her son. On September 15, 2007, he was notified of the refusal of clemency by the head of state, and continued serving his sentence at the Opera prison in Milan.
On May 8, 2008, he married his childhood friend, Antonella D'Agostino. The marriage was formalised with a civil ceremony on May 5, 2008. Renato Vallanzasca has recently opened a blog (www.renatovallanzasca.it), which is currently being managed by a third party.
From March 2010, Vallanzasca is allowed to work outside jail
as laborer so he can leave jail every day at 7:30 and come back at 19:00.
In popular culture
- In 1977, he released a film entitled La Banda Vallanzasca which was directed by Mario BianchiMario BianchiMario Bianchi is an Italian film director.Bianchi is known for such films as Fasthand, Don't Trust the Mafia and Satan's Baby Doll.-External links:...
. - In 2005, Vallanzasca was also presented a play which was based on his life, entitled Settanta Vallanzasca by Domenico Ferrari and Alessandro Pozzetti.
- The beautiful René inspired the name of an Italian SkaSkaSka |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
group, Vallanzaska. - In 2007, the life story of Renato Vallanzasca was told for the first time on television in a documentary realized for the TV show "La Storia siamo noi" (We are History) at Rai EduRai EduRai Edu may refer to the following former channels owned by Rai Educational, a division of RAI:*Rai Edu 1: Since October 19, 2009 renamed Rai Scuola*Rai Edu 2: Since February 2, 2009 renamed Rai Storia....
. - The film "Vallanzasca - Gli angeli del maleVallanzasca - Gli angeli del maleVallanzasca - Angels of Evil is a 2010 crime film directed by Michele Placido. Based on the biography Il fiore del male. Bandito a Milano of bank robber Renato Vallanzasca, by Italian journalist Carlo Bonini.- U.S. :...
" has been released by director Michele PlacidoMichele PlacidoMichele Placido is an internationally known Italian actor and director. He is best known for the role of Corrado Cattani in the TV series La Piovra.-Life and career:...
in 2010. The actor acting in the role of Vallanzasca is Kim Rossi StuartKim Rossi StuartKim Rossi Stuart is an Italian actor and director.-Career:Kim Rossi Stuart was born in Rome. His father, Giacomo, was also an actor. His mother was a former top model.He began acting at the age of 5...
.