Simone Pianetti was born on February 7, 1858, in the small village of Camareta Cornello in the province of Bergamo, about thirty-seven miles northeast of Milan. His family was relatively wealthy, and his father, Giovanni, had high hopes for his son. But Simone was hot-tempered, known as a womanizer, and his behavior repeatedly created friction with his father. The tension peaked when the young man fired a gun at Giovanni, though the shot missed.
Whether he truly meant to kill his father or only to intimidate him, the authorities arrested him. He was released without charges the next day, but his father had reached a decision: he gave Simone part of his inheritance and sent him to America to make something of himself. Simone arrived in the United States in far better financial shape than most Italian immigrants. While many of his countrymen labored in construction, factories, or trades like tailoring and shoemaking, Simone used his money to start his own business.
Along with a friend named Antonio Ferrari, he began importing goods from Italy, mainly fruit and wine, and selling them to shopkeepers. The enterprise grew profitable and earned him a good reputation, though some of his decisions were admittedly ill-considered. His success soon drew the attention of the local protection group. They told him he would have to pay them to keep operating without trouble.
Other businessmen warned him not to make enemies of them, but Simone refused to hand over his profits. The gang pressured the shopkeepers he supplied, ordering them to stop buying his goods. As his business suffered, Simone made a rare decision: he went to the police and informed on the protection operation. Informing was not common practice, and the police chief was surprised.
Still, he quickly arrested the known members, and Simone identified them. The young man soon realized his actions had consequences. His friend and business partner, Antonio Ferrari, was found dead, shot. Fearing for his own life, Simone fled the city and wrote to his father, asking for money to come home.
Life in his native village was far slower than the city he had left behind, but at least he was safe. At thirty-three, he still dreamed of wealth and success, but his time in America had taught him a lesson. Settling down, he married a young woman named Carlotta Mourini and opened a tavern. This was not the usual drinking house.
It offered music, food, dancing, and drink, and it attracted not only locals but also the tourists who had been pouring into the province of Bergamo since the 1840s. The tavern flourished, and Simone began to earn a reputation as a shrewd businessman. But not everyone approved. The local priest considered the establishment immoral and asked the authorities to revoke its licence.
While not all residents shared the priest’s opinion, few dared to defy him. Many customers drifted back to more traditional taverns, and business declined until Simone had no choice but to close. Back in his home village, he had not endeared himself to the community. He refused to attend church on Sundays and was seen by some as arrogant.
With the money he had left, he moved four miles away to the village of San Giovanni Bianco, where he was less known. By then, Carlotta had borne him seven children, and Simone needed to support them. He opened an electric-powered mill, and the operation did well at first. He believed hard work would build it into a large success.
Then the rumors caught up with him. Stories spread about his tavern and his refusal to attend church. People were discouraged from buying his flour. In a short time, the mill went bankrupt.
At fifty-six, Simone faced mounting debts, a failed business, and seven children to provide for. He fell into depression and began to believe that many people had wronged him. The feeling of injustice grew even stronger when one of his sons fell ill and was misdiagnosed by a doctor. Simone compiled a list of forty names and started contemplating revenge on those he held responsible for his downfall.
On the morning of Monday, July 13, 1914, Simone woke early. He dressed, drank a cup of coffee, and took out his three-barreled rifle. Then he left his house and walked slowly toward the village of Camareta Cornello. A farm laborer on his way to the fields greeted him; they exchanged pleasantries, but Simone had no time for small talk.
The first name on his list was Doctor Domenico Morali, the doctor who had misdiagnosed his son. When Simone saw him, he fired twice. The doctor fell to the ground instantly. Simone walked up calmly, looked down, and saw that Morali was dead.
He moved on to the town hall. He was looking for the mayor, Cristoforo Manzoni, but the mayor was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Simone shot the municipal secretary, Abramo Gudishi, one of those who had worked to bring down his tavern. He then shot Gudishi’s twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Valeria, remembering how she had mocked him when his business failed.
Next he walked to the home of Giovanni Galadi, a local shoemaker, and shot him as his wife looked on. The house was close to the church, so Simone crossed into the churchyard, where he saw the priest, Camillo Filippi, talking to the town clerk, Giovanni Gipponi. He shot them both. He looked for the innkeeper but could not find him.
The final name on his list that morning was a woman named Caterina Milesi, who lived on a farm just outside the village. She had angered him by owing him money she never paid and by gossiping about his misfortune. When he found her, she became his last victim. By then the alarm was spreading across Camareta Cornello and San Giovanni Bianco.
Church bells rang, and word of the killings raced through the countryside. Residents locked their doors and stayed inside. The Carabinieri arrived, reinforced by units from the nearby city of Bergamo. Journalists and onlookers also made their way to the usually quiet village.
But the search found nothing: Simone Pianetti had disappeared into the woods. On Wednesday, July 15, the first funeral was held, and the whole village turned out to pay respects to Caterina Milesi. Doctor Morali’s funeral followed the next day. The other five victims were buried thereafter.
Simone remained in hiding. A reward was offered for information leading to his arrest, and the Carabinieri believed he was being helped by the herdsmen who lived in the remote areas around Monte Venturosa. More than three hundred men joined the hunt, including a unit of 170 soldiers from the 78th Infantry. Locals formed small armed groups, hoping to capture the fugitive and claim a share of the reward.
Meanwhile, those who stayed home kept their doors locked, and the streets remained empty. The newspapers followed the story obsessively. Some journalists began to portray Simone as a liberator who had fought back against the oppression of small communities dominated by figures like the mayor, the doctor, and the priest. Graffiti appeared on walls reading “Long live Pianetti,” and for a time he became the favorite topic of conversation across Italy.
The Carabinieri understood that he was surviving because the herdsmen of the remote valleys, who had long felt abandoned by the authorities, preferred to help a fugitive even with a reward on his head. With so many resources devoted to the hunt and nothing to show for it, the authorities agreed to a different approach. They allowed Simone’s son Nino to enter the remote area and try to find his father. Nino carried two letters, one from his mother and one from a family friend named Bortolo Bolotti.
Both begged Simone to give himself up. The letters were passed along by the herdsmen, and Simone replied emotionally to both. When Nino returned, he reported his father’s words: “When my freedom is in danger, I will put an end to my days. Better to die here than die in a cell.
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As tensions mounted in Europe, the newspapers began to lose interest. War was declared at the end of July 1914, and although Italy declared neutrality and did not actually enter the conflict until the following year, the nation’s attention shifted away from the manhunt. Even so, Simone’s trial went ahead on May 25, 1915, in the city of Bergamo. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, the first five years in solitary confinement.
But he was still nowhere to be found. Since Nino returned from the mountain with his father’s letters, there have been no further official recorded sightings of Simone Pianetti. His body has never been found. Shortly after the trial, rumors circulated that he had died, though some believed the story was invented to calm the villagers so they could resume their daily lives without fear.
Other stories emerged over time. One claimed he had made his way to Venezuela, where he lived and worked. That account came from an Italian woman named Domenica Milesi, who had moved to Venezuela and said she had met him. Some people believed the Italian authorities had actually helped him escape, fearing that if he were arrested he might become a heroic symbol for the people.
Other rumors had him crossing into Switzerland and freedom. During the war years, it would certainly have been easier for a man to slip across the border unnoticed. In 1943, it was claimed that an elderly man seen wandering in the woods near Camareta Cornello gave his name as Simone Pianetti before walking back into the wilderness. Perhaps the most popular theory held that Simone’s son, who had moved to Milan, told friends that his father had indeed gone to Venezuela, later returned to Italy with false documents, and died in 1952.
Whatever truly became of Simone Pianetti has never been established. The man who carried out seven killings in a single morning vanished into the mountains and left behind nothing but questions.