The Ghost Of Girolamo Riario. Ivo Ragazzini
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I wish you a good read and a good rediscovery of this completely forgotten historical event.
And, if after reading this book, someone accidentally encounters the ghost again, I'm sure he will understand it much better than before.
Forlì, autumn of 2010... the ghost appears
In a room not far from the historic city center, a researcher of biomagnetic phenomena, or a ghost catcher if you prefer and some witnesses of mysterious facts and presences, are interviewed by the researcher himself
“Have you seen the ghost yet, ma'am?” asked the researcher, while interviewing a lady who wished to remain anonymous.
“Yes. It looks better in the evening or maybe you see better in that hour”, replied the lady.
“Have you seen it several times?”
“Yes”, said the woman again.
“Where is he when you see him?”
“In the municipal building of Forlì. Once I saw it outside Piazza Saffi2, it was suspended outside the wall, near a window on the first floor of the municipal building”, replied the lady.
“You mean he was standing on a window sill or on a ledge of the wall?” the researcher demanded for clarification.
“No. It was outside the wall and seemed to hang in the thin air”.
“Maybe it was suspended on an ancient framework that is now no longer in that wall?” commented the researcher.
“I do not know this”.
“I understand you lady. What did he do outside the wall?” continued the researcher.
“Nothing. It just seemed to dance near a window”, replied the woman.
“Which window?”
“It was the third window of the town hall, counting from the right”, replied the woman”.
“What was the ghost like?”
“Grey, a grey shadow and his head was open and split on one side, as if he were missing or they had cut off part of his head”.
“Wow. A good business card for introduce himself to someone. I guess you were at the least surprised lady?”
“Yes, surprised. You said well”.
“Okay lady. Have you seen it again and more?”
“Yes, sometimes he is in the corridor, another time he was in a larger adjoining room”.
“Do you see it when it's dark or there is little light?” the researcher asked more curious.
“No. I always saw it in the evening but never when it's completely dark”.
“All right, lady. What else have you seen about it?”
“I heard him say and moan something”.
“What did he say?”
“I didn't understand, his voice was weak and dimmering, and as well was his image”, explained the woman.
“Okay lady. What else have you seen?”
“Nothing else. That's all”, concluded the woman.
“Thanks for your information ma'am. If necessary, I will ask you more”, replied the researcher as he concluded the interview with the lady and was preparing to interview another witness present in the room.
“How did you manage to see the ghost?” asked the researcher, turning to the other witness who said he also saw it.
“I learned from friends about this presence in the building and went to look for it”.
“Why did you want to look him for?” asked the researcher curiously.
“I was only interested in seeing it”.
“And what have you seen?”
“More or less what the lady saw, but with a few more details”, replied the witness.
“What's more else details have you seen?”
“More than anything else, I heard him say something”, replied the witness.
“What did you hear saying about?”
“He was worried about his lady”.
“Did he speak directly to you?”
“No. Mostly he complained to anyone who could listen to him”, replied the witness.
“He complained about what?”
“Of what they had done to him and he wanted to take revenge against the traitors and conspirators who attacked him”, replied the witness.
“Did he tell you who his lady was?”
“No, but he said he had to rush to defend her because she was in danger in the next room”.
“So he was worried because her wife was in danger in the next room?”
“Yes, he more or less complained about it and demanded revenge for the conspirators who had done all this”, explained the witness.
“Did the ghost tell you what they had done to him?”
“He didn't say this but he knew who the conspirators were and demanded revenge them”, replied the witness.
“Did he also tell you who the hit men and the conspirators were?”
“Yes. And he also knew who were the real perpetrators”.
“Who were they?” asked intrigued the researcher.
“I'm not want to tell you that”.
“Why?”
“It's a long story and I don't think you'd understand me”.
“It is not so, but I respect your will. Anyway, do you have any idea who could be the woman he wanted to defend?” asked curious the researcher.
“Yes. She was Caterina Sforza the ancient lady of Imola and Forli”, replied the witness.
“So who would the ghost be? One of her three husbands, I supposed3”.
“That ghost was not just anyone of them but Girolamo Riario, first husband of Caterina Sforza and nephew of Pope Sixtus IV4, who was murdered in that palace 500 years ago by a conspiracy, while Caterina had locked and barricade herself up in the next room and desperately asked for help. And that is a story that has remained unclear and mysterious in many places until today”, the witness replied all in one breath.
The researcher remain slightly surprised for a while by what he had just heard. Then asked:
“But it could have been Jacopo Feo. As far I know, was he also a husband of Caterina Sforza and died in an ambush from a sword blow to the head”.
“No. It was Riario, and he was murdered in that palace. Jacopo Feo was murdered in the street in a place very far from there, halfway down Corso Garibaldi, where the Morattini bridge5 once stood” replied the witness.
“And why then did the ghost have his head smashed in one side?”
“Because someone smashed it down like that”, replied the witness.
“Why would someone do such a thing to him?” asked the researcher.
“You seem a bit naive. There may be many reasons in the world to do things like that to someone”. replied the witness smiling.
“Say them”.
“But I told you it's a long story”.
“Never mind. Recall it back”, the researcher urged