Netflix is revisiting one of Europe’s most haunting criminal investigations with The Monster of Florence, a scripted true-crime series that dramatizes the infamous Il Mostro case and the labyrinthine probe that followed. Spanning nearly two decades of fear on the outskirts of Florence, the show blends procedural intensity with a grounded look at the people and institutions swept up in a mystery that, to this day, refuses to fully close.
Set against the Tuscan countryside between 1968 and 1985, the series explores how investigators first began to connect the dots between a string of murders targeting young couples. As the pattern took shape, the case evolved from isolated tragedies into a chilling portrait of a serial killer whose motives remained maddeningly opaque.
Arriving as a limited, four-episode run, The Monster of Florence leans into the unresolved nature of the real story, offering a focused, character-driven perspective on the investigators, suspects, and loved ones seeking truth amid shifting theories and mounting public pressure.
What The Monster of Florence Is About
The series tracks the investigation into an elusive killer who stalked lovers’ lanes in rural areas outside Florence. The attacks were brutal and deliberate, and the lack of a clear profile left police struggling to understand who they were hunting. Over 17 years, the killer took 16 lives, earning the tabloid moniker Il Mostro as fear and speculation reverberated across Italy.
According to Netflix’s Tudum, the show is based on the still-open case that has persisted through multiple investigative phases and shifting theories. Rather than presenting a definitive solution, the series reconstructs the early break in the case and how investigators began to suspect a serial offender, using case details to anchor its storytelling without overstating what remains unknown.
A distinctive structural choice sets The Monster of Florence apart: each of its four episodes is told from the perspective of a different suspect. That device reframes familiar facts through conflicting narratives, underscoring how partial truths and rumor can complicate even the most diligent police work.
Cast, Creators & Episode Structure
The Monster of Florence is co-created by Leonardo Fasoli and Stefano Sollima, the latter of whom has a long track record of sharp, propulsive crime dramas. The cast includes Liliana Bottone, Marco Bullitta, Francesca Olia, and Giacomo Fadda, who lead the ensemble through a story that interweaves procedural beats with a textured look at the community under siege.
Speaking to Time ahead of the premiere, Sollima explained why the series starts at the investigation’s dawn, where a pattern first emerged. "There was not a single perpetrator who has been sentenced for all 16 murders," he said. "We decided to tell the story from the beginning, when investigators started connecting the dots and realized this might be the act of a serial killer."
By centering the early years, the show can trace how a case becomes a national fixation and how pressure, politics, and media attention can shape an investigation. The rotating-suspect format also emphasizes the complexity of attribution in a case marked by incomplete answers.
The True Story Behind Il Mostro
The real Il Mostro case is one of Italy’s most scrutinized criminal investigations. While many theories have circulated over the decades, the killer’s identity has never been conclusively established, and no single person has been convicted for all of the murders. That uncertainty, and the emotional stakes for victims’ families, continues to fuel calls for transparency and reexamination.
The show explores an angle known as the "Sardinian trail," a lesser-known theory suggesting a possible link to the Meles, a family of Sardinian immigrants living in Tuscany. The series presents this thread as part of a broader mosaic of leads that investigators pursued, illustrating how divergent paths can complicate a search for truth.
Per reporting cited by CBS News, three men have been charged over the years in connection with murders attributed to Il Mostro, and the case was reopened by authorities in the 2000s. Yet despite arrests and renewed scrutiny, the broader Italian public has continued to view the case as unresolved.
That sentiment has been echoed by the victims’ families, several of whom have pushed for evidence to be reexamined as recently as 2022. The Monster of Florence doesn’t attempt to close the book on the investigation; instead, it dramatizes how a prolonged, high-stakes inquiry can produce competing narratives and enduring doubts, even as law enforcement amasses files, interviews, and forensic work.
Release Date & Where To Watch
The Monster of Florence premiered on Netflix on October 22, 2025. All four episodes are now available to stream.
For true-crime viewers, the series offers a tightly constructed, perspective-shifting look at a notorious case that still casts a long shadow. For newcomers to Il Mostro, it serves as an accessible entry point into a pivotal chapter of modern Italian criminal history—and a reminder that some mysteries linger long after the headlines fade.
