The Ghost Of Girolamo Riario. Ivo Ragazzini

was dragged after his death. That room was destroyed by his wife Caterina Sforza after his murder and no longer exists today”.

      “And after five centuries, you still know such things and details?”

      “Actually, I know a more lot of it”.

      “I understand, go ahead”, replied the researcher.

      “Returning to the window from which he was thrown out, the spot where Riario fell on the under square was marked for a long time and many people in all ages and centuries knew this. Only today, no one remembers it anymore. Since then many people in all ages have seen his ghost and some even heard him”, explained the witness.

      “How do you know all this?” asked the researcher.

      “You run fast and go ahead too much. I already told you there's more to know”, replied the witness as he began to tell more.

       Romagna five centuries earlier

       Faenza Market in early 1488. A fencing master approached a wealthy farmer from Forlì surrounded by friends in the middle of the square. The master want delivering them a book of black prophecies to be reported in Forlì ⁹

      The fencing master arrived in front of the farmer and his friends and asked aloud:

      “Sir, I need a favour from you”.

      “Who are you?” answers the farmer.

      “My name is Cesare Scrimidore¹⁰ from Faenza and I am a long-time friend of Leon Cobello¹¹, painter and chronicler of your town of Forlivio¹²”.

      “I know it's a your friend, and I want delivering him something through you that I owed him for a long time. We will both very grateful if you do that.”

      “Yes. I know the chronicler Leone Cobelli. Tell me what this is at all”, replied the farmer.

      “He begged me to give him this book personally, which was given to me by a soothsayer friar minor of St. Francis, and since I don't have the opportunity to go to Forlivio, I ask you to give it for me”, said the swordsman.

      “All right. Who should I tell him you are?” replied the peasant.

      “Say him I am a swordsman from Faenza and I send him a book by an astrologer friar so that you know what kind of destiny is written of your lord Girolamo Riario and your lands in the heaven and in the stars”.

      “But what heavenly destiny written in the stars are you talking about, sword master?” spoke a scribe of the peasant present at the speech.

      “Sir, don't tense or argue with me about things decided and willed from the heights and heavenly spheres. It is all written in this book and no one can say otherwise¹³”.

      “Reach over Sir Leon Cobello, give him this book and tell him that this is the destiny of what will happen to your lord and city and he will know what to do about it”, replied the swordsman threateningly.

      “I don’t wish to discuss with you in front of everyone, but know that many of the people of Forlì already know what is happening in our lands and our Count Girolamo Riario. And they don't need soothsayers nor astrologers to know what is happening in our lands¹⁴”, replied the scribe.

      “Maybe You are talking about things you do not know. You must know that this book was written ten years ago by an astrologer of these lands and tells of things that have already happened and others that have yet to happen in the government of your city until the year one thousand five hundred”.

      “So what? There are many prophecies in those lands runned across by invisibles Count Riario's enemies”.

      “And that confirm the things that are still destined to happen there, willed by God and celestial mechanics¹⁵”, replied the fencing master.

      “If you say it was written ten years ago, so tell me who wrote it? Who is the soothsayer who gave it to you?” asked the scribe.

      “That is not for you to know”.

      “So I bet it was the astrologer Girolamo Manfredi, friar and healer astrologer, related in its name to your lords of Faenza, friends of Florence and enemies of Riario¹⁶”, replied the scribe.

      “This too is not given you to know, but what the matter?” replied the swordsman.

      “The matter is: who has paid this astrologer friar to make this book? Astrologers and horoscopes cost a lot and someone rich must have paid for them”, asked the scribe even more critically.

      “I don't know what's your problem, and I'm not want argue about it with you. But if you mean to say that I am a ciurmadore¹⁷and you want to pass the truth on to the tournament,¹⁸ I will be well disposed to it”, replied the swordsman.

      “I am a scribe and I do not intend to say that you are a swindler, nor do I intend to hold on you or pass with you at tournament, I just wanted to know how things were to take note for me and my citizens”, the scribe lowered his tone.

      “Then let the Master Leon Cobello do this and let's end our discussion here that is better in this way”, concluded the fencing teacher with the scribe.

      “You”, ordered the fencer at the farmer:

      “Take and keep this book. Just give it to Master Leon Cobello, and he'll know what to do with it. We'll both be grateful for what you do for us”.

      “All right, let's not quarrel again about it”, said the farmer, taking the book, turning is back to secure it in his travel bag.

      “Listen, what did you say your name is?” asked the farmer, turning back again to the swordsman, but the swordsman had already quietly walked away in the crowd of the marketplace.

      “When he arrived in Forlì the farmer handed the book to the chronicler Leone Cobelli telling him everything, but Cobelli, as hard he tried to remember who the swordsman and the monk might be, said he couldn't remember anyone who had promised such a thing to him. In any case the chronicler Cobelli was also an astrologer and held those prophecies in great consideration”.

      “And as soon some strange sign appeared in the sky, he wrote that they arrived from Faenza or had been seen above the convent of the local Franciscan friars”, the witness concluded the explanation of his story.

      The researcher had listened attentively him and asked:

      “In a nutshell, do you mean say that this book was written by Riario's murderers to prepare the Forlians for his death and make the people believe that Riario was predestined to die?”

      “Something like that, but planned a little bit better. A similar book was indeed ordered ten years earlier by people of Florence who run around Lorenzo de' Medici and contained the way and manner in which Riario should be die”, replied the witness.

      “Lorenzo de Medici? Lorenzo the Magnificent ordered it?” asked the researcher in amazement.

      “Yes, himself”.

      “What does he have to do with Riario?” asked the researcher.

      “He has a lot to do with it. It was in fact a settlement between them”.

      “What are you talking about?”

      “I'm telling you what happened. It all began when Pope Sixtus IV and his nephew, Girolamo Riario, try to take over Florence and overthrow Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother Giuliano de Medici”.

      “And then what append?”

      “And then Riario and the Pope found nothing better than trying to assassinate both during a solemn mass in Florence Cathedral, where they lying down Giuliano de' Medici in a pool of blood, while Lorenzo the Magnificent was missed and managed to save himself