The Ghostly Steps The Mystery of Gianfranco Cuccuini
True Crime
by Gabriel Arata
G
ianfranco Cuccuini is a retired printmaker working casually at the church bookstore Manuelli in Florence. The shop is a landmark for devotees and men of the cloth, selling religious texts and devotional items. Gianfranco never works on Fridays, but that day, 24th March, 1995, he was asked to fill in. It was early in the morning, drizzling. On the radio, Come Mai by 883 plays. In Sesto Fiorentino, a suburb on the outskirts of Florence, the clock marks 07:30 and Gianfranco, always an early bird, climbs onto his trusty moped. In downtown Florence, the day starts early and Manuelli is a very central Bookstore, beside the Curia, in Via del Proconsolo, right behind the Duomo. The cafes are filling with workers and students for their daily caffeine fix. The Arno river flows peacefully. Flocks of tourists swarm undisturbed. At 07:20 the doorwoman opens the front door of the Curia. At around 07:45, five construction workers arrive to fix the sewage system. The last worker to arrive on site will later state that at 07:50 sharp the bookstore’s shutter was already rolled up, and of this he is certain. He vividly recalls adjusting his hat in the window’s reflection.
26 ART & CULTURE
Between 08:20 and 08:30, Gianfranco is spotted by the owner of the copyshop across the street as he sweeps. He waves at him, but Gianfranco does not reciprocate, a reaction completely out of character. At 08:30, a woman paces in front of the Curia, waiting impatiently for someone. Something catches her eye. She doesn't know who Gianfranco is, but notices two people walking towards his bookstore. From the description she released to the police, one of the two is Gianfranco himself. She describes the other person as tall, and lean with long hair and outdated clothing, but she is not able to identify as a woman or man. That is the last certain moment in which Gianfranco is still undoubtedly alive. Between 8:40am and 8:45am, Don Boffici, after having unsuccessfully knocked three times at the backdoor, decides to walk in from the front door. Strangely, the light is off. He walks in slowly. He can't explain why, but he is unable to call out Gianfranco’s name. Then he sees a foot sticking out behind the counter. Terrified, Don Boffici tries to scream, but barely a breath comes out. He has a horrifying feeling of not being alone. Don Boffici tears out the front
Segmento Magazine XVII March/April 2021
