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“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 supposed
”.
“That ghost was not just anyone of them but Girolamo Riario, first husband of Caterina Sforza and nephew of Pope Sixtus IV
, 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 bridge
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 him.
“All right. Officially, Riario was murdered towards evening in the nymphs room of that palace by three conspirators he believed to be trusted friends. One of them, while the other two waited outside, entered in the room, that no longer exists with an excuse and stabbed him in the body”.
“After the first stab, Riario fell to the ground and tried to take refuge under a table, but was immediately reached and finished by the other two conspirators, who took and stabbed him to death, while Caterina Sforza had barricaded herself with servants in the next room and cried out for help”.
“After about half an hour, or so, he was badly thrown out from a window by other conspirators, who in the meantime had taken the town hall and his body was torn apart by other insurgents shouting freedom as they dragged him through the square”, the witness reply in one breath.
“Sounds like a bad story”, answer the researcher, thinking about it for a moment. Then trying to guess more or less how things might have gone, he say:
“So, if I understood correctly, it could be that when Riario was thrown out the window, he fall down on his head smashing it in the soil?”
“No. I didn't say that, and I don't think it's true. In fact I believe that Riario fall down on his feet and not upside down on his head”, explained the witness.
“And how would he have gotten is head crashed out ?”
“There are many ways to crash someone's head”, replied the witness.
“So how would it have happened?”
“You need to know a few more facts to understand the whole things”.
“And you know them?”
“Many of them”, replied the witness.
“And how would you know all these things? Did the ghost explain them to you?” asked the researcher with a smile.
“No. I am the son of the son, of the son of the son, from many lives of home-born Forli people, and I have inherited something from them”, replied the witness.
“Come on... how can I believe you...” smiled the researcher again, “are you trying to hide the truth from me?”.
“No”.
“So the ghost must have told you all about it?” the researcher insisted.
“No, he only said a few things. Others happened after his death and maybe he didn't even know them”, explained the witness.
“And you know about them?”
“I already told you: several, yes”.
“Excuse me, but who is the ghost? You or him?” the researcher asked jokingly.
“Him, of course”.
“And who are you?”
“A citizen of these places” replied the witness.
“And how would you know all this?”
“I just know it and that’s all”, replied the witness who seemed not to want explain more details.
“Perhaps you've read everything in the history books?”
“Some things I have tried to verify in the history books, but a lot of them are not written in any history book”.
“So how do you know all these things?” insisted the researcher.
“I already told you. I am the son of the son of the son of the son of people here native and I have inherited something...”
“You are very curious. What else did the ghost tell you?” asked the researcher who felt more and more involved with this story.
“He promised revenge and blood to those who killed him and did this to him”.
“Did you ask him anything?”
“Yes”.
“You are also very brave. What did you ask him?”
“I demanded him for some details”.
“And what did he reply to you?”
“He didn't answer me”.
“Wait a moment. Did you done spirit sessions or something like that for ask him those questions?” demanded the researcher, beginning to suspect that something like that must have happened.
“No, I haven't. I'm not a spiritualist”, replied the witness.
“Who else enquire him then?”
“Many people as far as I know, but they didn't do a damn thing”.
“Why aren't they here in your place then?”
It's been a long time and many of them are already dead”, replied the witness.
“Who were they?”
“I'd like not tell you that”.
“Why?”
“I'm afraid you wouldn't understand”.
“Come on... you can tell me. I'm a researcher and I've seen a lot of things in my life”.
“I think I had seen more of them, but if you really want to...” the witness added.
“I do care”.
“It's okay but I warned you. Make yourself comfortable because the story isn't short”, said the witness as he prepared to tell the rest of the story.
It wasn't the first time someone had seen the ghost of Girolamo Riario in the town hall...
...the witness explained to the researcher.
“As early as 1500 it was said that the place where Riario fell remain stained of his blood forever, and almost two hundred years later, around 1650, some chroniclers even wrote about it
”.
“In the 1700s there were some who spoke of Riario's spirit or soul and in the 1800s there were some tales telling how, after his murder, his ghost wandering around looking for someone”.
“In the second half of the 1800s there was a culmination and several groups of spiritualists and Freemasons said they were in contact not only with him, but also with Caterina Sforza
and someone else who was staying in the fortress of Ravaldino
”.
