The Monster of Florence is a 4-episode miniseries directed by Stefano Sollima and co-created with Leonardo Fasoli, already known for Italian crime masterpieces such as Gomorrah. The show has already captivated audiences with its gripping and meticulously crafted retelling of the Monster of Florence case, one of Italy’s darkest and most notorious unsolved crimes.
Praised for its tense narrative and strong performances, the miniseries premiered to acclaim at the Venice Film Festival and has since become a Netflix sensation, currently sitting at #3 on the U.S. charts. Here’s everything you need to know about the show — from the chilling plot and cast to the release date. You’ll find the trailer at the end of the article.
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The Monster of Florence – all the key details
- Title: The Monster of Florence
- Original Title: Il Mostro
- Country: Italy
- Original Language: Italian
- Format: Miniseries – 4 episodes
- Genre: True crime, psychological thriller, drama
- Inspiration: The Monster of Florence case, one of the longest and most unresolved in Italian true crime history
- Director: Stefano Sollima (Romanzo criminale, Gomorra, Suburra, ZeroZeroZero)
- Created by: Stefano Sollima and Leonardo Fasoli
- Production: The Apartment (Fremantle) and AlterEgo
- Main Cast: Marco Bullitta, Valentino Mannias, Francesca Olia, Liliana Bottone, Giacomo Fadda, Giordano Mannu, Antonio Tintis
- Producers: Lorenzo Mieli, Stefano Sollima, Gina Gardini
Relentless direction for an unsolved mystery
With a teaser already promising chills and a tension sharp as a blade, The Monster of Florence takes viewers deep into one of Italy’s most terrifying true stories. Between 1968 and 1985, a series of brutal double murders haunted the hills around Florence — young couples found dead in their cars, all killed with the same .22 caliber Beretta. What followed was a decades-long investigation marked by false leads, media frenzy, and public paranoia. With a teaser already promising chills and tension sharp as a blade, the miniseries plunges viewers into the heart of this nightmare that gripped an entire nation.
But who really was the Monster of Florence? Sollima doesn’t offer easy answers. On the contrary, he builds a choral, uneasy, ambiguous narrative, where the point of view constantly shifts. The “monsters” portrayed are the suspects, the victims, the investigators. Because, as the synopsis suggests, the Monster could be anyone. And perhaps that is the most disturbing detail.
The cast and production: Italian crime looks to the world
Produced by The Apartment (Fremantle group) and AlterEgo, under the supervision of Lorenzo Mieli, the series fits into the best tradition of European crime but with a distinctly Italian voice. The cast, made up of Marco Bullitta, Valentino Mannias, Francesca Olia, Liliana Bottone, Giacomo Fadda, Antonio Tintis, and Giordano Mannu, focuses on fresh and intense faces, capable of conveying lost humanity in a context of violence and ambiguity. Sollima returns to telling the darkest side of Italian society, with a sleek, cinematic, hypnotic style. The Monster of Florence is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated Netflix autumn releases, and one of the most ambitious and discussed Italian show of recent years.
The first episodes
The first episodes of The Monster of Florence – according to reviews from those who saw them in Venice, in preview – show an ambitious series, technically polished and capable of adding new pieces to the disturbing myth of the Monster of Florence. The series is praised for attention to detail (costumes, settings, scenography), and for how it portrays Italy during the years of those crimes: social, aesthetic, and cultural landscapes. Movieplayer describes the environmental reconstruction as “splendidly realized.” The decision to not immediately focus on the most famous names, but to dig into less explored leads, combined with strong attention to the emotional and social dimensions of the case, suggests a product that dares – and could leave a mark. However, according to the portal Cinefilos, the depicted violence and the lack of explicit truth might divide the audience: those seeking answers may have to accept that the series raises more questions than solutions.
The investigative leads
Since 1968, the Monster of Florence case has been a maze of investigations and dead ends. Early suspects included Mario Vanni and Giancarlo Lotti, who were convicted for some of the double murders. Pietro Pacciani, another key figure, was later acquitted on appeal. Investigators also explored more controversial leads. Some pointed to elite cults linked to the murders through strange “fetishes” taken from the victims. Another line of inquiry, the “Sardinian lead,” focused on the Vinci brothers, who arrived from Sardinia in 1982.
The latest breakthrough came on July 20, 2025. DNA testing of little Natalino, the only survivor of the first 1968 double murder, revealed a shocking truth. His biological father was not Stefano Mele, originally convicted for the crime, but Giovanni Vinci — one of the previously uninvestigated Vinci brothers. This discovery adds a chilling new twist to the still unsolved case.
Release date on Netflix
The miniseries is available on Netflix starting October 22, 2025.
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