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'Seventh circle of hell' death where man burned alive in 'worst execution ever'

'Seventh circle of hell' death where man burned alive in 'worst execution ever'

The most notorious of the early tyrants may have deserved karmic justice with a "seventh circle of hell" death however, it was not the widely hated ruler who met this gruesome fate - it was his brother.
One of Rome's most violent leaders, Ezzelino III da Romano, was an Italian statesman during the 13th century and was the appointed lordship of several Italian provinces by Fredrick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
This was during a time when Italian politics were dominated by the split between those who wanted the Emperor to dominate North Italian politics, the Ghibellines, and those who wanted the Pope to retain overall control, the Guelphs.
Ezzelino slotted himself into the Ghibelline faction and imposed a violent tyranny over his subjects. As a result his people developed a deep, unwavering hatred for him.
The Guelphs would eventually win in their quest to have him removed from power and Ezzelino died in prison from his injuries after being defeated by Guelph forces. However, some would say the tyrant got off lightly with his brother, Alberico da Romano bearing the brunt of the punishment for his brother's brutal rule.
Alberico, after the death of his brother, tried to surrender to the Guelphs in order to save his family but they threw him in chains and made him watch as they chopped his young sons apart.
He was then forced to standby as the women in his family were stripped naked and forced to walk naked through the streets before being burned alive. One Reddit user posted saying the man "was actually in the 7th layer of hell in Dante's inferno".
If this wasn't revenge enough Aberico was then tortured with scalding hot irons before his wounded body, on the brink of death, was dragged through the streets by horse.
Jimcomelately described the gory death: "Ezzelino was so unpopular with the locals that Alberico, after the death of his brother, tried to surrender himself to the Guelphs in order to save his family but they threw him in chains and made him watch as they chopped his young sons apart.
"His female relatives were stripped naked and forced to walk naked through the streets before being burned alive. And after all this he was tortured with hot irons and dragged through the streets by a horse."

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My brutal family shot rivals & blew up judges in Mafia's most infamous massacre…I'd be dead if I hadn't fled to UK at 12
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The Irish Sun

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  • The Irish Sun

My brutal family shot rivals & blew up judges in Mafia's most infamous massacre…I'd be dead if I hadn't fled to UK at 12

HIS family tree is a rogues' gallery of hitmen, murderers and extortionists and were even behind the infamous bombings that killed two Sicilian judges and eight police officers in 1992. And at 12 years old, Riccardo di Cascia Burzotta was being lured into the dangerous underworld of the mafioso. 15 Riccardo di Burzotta escaped the clutches of the Sicilian mafia Credit: Supplied 15 The Capaci massacre, in 1992, which killed prominent judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three guards Credit: EPA 15 Magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were murdered in the massacres Credit: Getty In his native But in a brave move which 'saved his life', his parents fled the Italian island for the UK - starting a new life in Southend on Sea in Essex. 'Before they were even in their teens my cousins were burning down shops to send messages to people who didn't pay their protection money," Riccardo tells The Sun. "If we stayed living in Sicily I would have joined them because I didn't really understand how dangerous it was and I didn't know any better. READ MORE FEATURES 'I was born into that life which meant I had little choice but to join the Mafia. 'When I was a kid it was normal for everyone to keep guns in the house for self protection. 'There wasn't much work around, most kids tended to drop out of school early and get caught up in crime. 'My parents feared I'd be drawn to the money and power." Most read in The Sun Riccardo's parents set up a restaurant business in Southend and he says coming to the UK was "a huge shock.' 'I didn't speak a word of English but suddenly I found myself in an all boys' school in Essex having to eat something disgusting called custard. I could not believe how bad the food was," he says. Italian police arrest Settimo Mineo​, the ​mafia's new ​'​boss of bosses​'​ in Sicily 'There was a lot of racism towards foreigners back then and I was called every name under the sun and beaten up in the playground almost daily. 'But if I had stayed in Sicily it would have been worse. I'm certain I would have ended up in prison - or dead. "The Mafia is an ugly cancer that destroys families. We needed to get well away before I ended up in prison myself. 'My parents' decision to start a new life in another country saved my life, without any doubt.' 15 Riccardo is from a family linked to murders, terrorism, arson, extortion and corruption Credit: supplied 15 Riccardo landed work in an Italian restaurant in Essex Credit: supplied Deadly family Riccardo has cousins serving time for murders, while other members of his close family have been involved in kidnapping and extortion. Some were also tangled up even the Capaci massacre - a violent terrorist attack in which mafiosi detonated a car bomb that killed the anti-Mafia judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three police guards in 1992. It was one of the most terrifying attacks ever executed by the Mafia and the international outrage it sparked marked a crucial turning point in the fight against organised crime in Italy. But, two months later, it was followed by the Via D'Amelio massacre in Palermo, killing a second judge, Paulo Borsellino, and five bodyguards. The murdered prosecutors had been at the forefront of a crackdown in organised crime in Sicily which led to the notorious Maxi Trial, which ran for six years and saw 19 life sentences handed to crime bosses and a further 338 members of the mob sentenced to a total of 2,665 years. Salvatore 'Toto' Riina - known as 'the Boss of Bosses' - was sentenced to two life sentences in absentia and ordered the assassination of the judges in retribution. He was captured and jailed in 1993 after 23 years as a fugitive. 15 Judge Giovanni Falcone died in the car bomb Credit: Getty 15 Borsellino and five guards died in the second attack Credit: Alamy 15 Sicilian Mafia boss Toto Riina was known as The Beast and The Boss of Bosses Credit: Reuters Riccardo's family also fell foul of Sicily's anti-Mafia crackdown. In 2016, authorities seized over €4 million in assets from Giuseppe Burzotta and his family, including a sitting councillor. But the murders continued. In 2017 Guiseppe Marciano, a known associate of Riccardo's family, was shot in the head. Killers ambushed him in a Fiat Uno and although the car was burnt to destroy any evidence, Marciano's father in law Pino Burzotta - Riccardo's second cousin - was later arrested. If I had stayed in Sicily it would have been worse. I'm certain I would have ended up in prison - or dead. Riccardo di Burzotta Pino's brother Diego Burzotta, a notorious hitman, was already serving a life sentence for the double murder of Giovanni Ingoglia and Salvatore Guccione, killed between 1982 and 1987. He was also sentenced to nine years for Mafia association and for attacking vice commissioner Rino Germanà, who escaped death after a daring chase by the clan's hitmen in 1992. Another cousin, Luca Burzotta, was convicted of Mafia association and Pietro, was acquitted of a similar charge due to contradictory testimony from witnesses. Now a father of four himself, Riccardo has no contact with his Sicilian clan but has revealed the truth about his family's dark past to his own children. 'They were shocked when I told them about my childhood," he says. 'We go back to Sicily for holidays but I never speak to my cousins. "I nod if I see them in the street but that's as far as it goes. 15 Riccardo returns to Sicily but avoids many of his relatives Credit: supplied 15 Any contact with Riccardo's relatives could mean a prison sentence Credit: Supplied 'We've all been warned to stay away from them - any contact could mean an automatic prison sentence. "Many of my cousins have been involved in gambling rackets and extortion, meaning any shops or business that didn't pay them protection money would go up in flames. 'It's too risky to associate with them. It's too risky to associate with my family, Ricardo di Burzotta "I hear about more arrests every day - members of my family and old friends I went to school with, it is beyond me how far they were willing to go. 'I plan to keep my own kids well away from it but I don't hide anything from them. 'They understand their heritage and it's important to teach them the value of who they are but I want them to keep on a straight path and understand that not all Sicilians are mafioso.' 15 As a teenager Riccardo was on the verge of a life of crime Credit: supplied 15 His life in Southend on Sea is free from the stigma of his surname Credit: supplied Food for thought Riccardo's move to the UK, at the age of 12, allowed him to forge his own path away from crime. Although he hated the British weather and could not stand the food, Riccardo kept his head down, stayed out of trouble and did well at school. He helped out in his parents' Italian restaurant in Southend, learnt to speak fluent English and Spanish, excelled at Maths and History, and landed a job in a City stockbroking firm. He said: 'That was like winning the lottery, a real eye opener. 'I was earning great money, travelling the world and loving the fast lifestyle.' Now 48, Riccardo remains on a mission to distance himself from the stigma of his surname. He has retired from finance and is focusing on encouraging entrepreneurial young Sicilians to choose a career in food. 15 Now Riccardo wants to focus on helping entrepreneurs Credit: Supplied 15 A father of four, he wants the next generation to follow a new path Credit: Supplied He says: 'My family's name is a burden, but it's also a responsibility. I want to show that we can choose a different path. 'We can't let the mistakes of our fathers define our children's 'Change starts at the table. If we can break bread together, we can break the cycle.' Although police are working to dismantle Mafia control in Sicily, investigators warn that intimidation and corruption persist. And the statistics are daunting. Mafia activity has cost Sicily billions in lost economic potential. We can't let the mistakes of our fathers define our children's future Ricardo di Burzotta Anti-Mafia organisations estimate that extortion and racketeering have siphoned off up to two per cent of Sicily's GDP each year. In just one 2018 crackdown, police arrested 58 people from 16 Mafia families, seizing €11 million in assets. The Mafia's stranglehold has deterred investors, stifled innovation, and driven away the island's brightest young minds. Youth unemployment in Sicily stands at a staggering 37 per cent, nearly double the Italian national average. Every year, tens of thousands of young Sicilians leave in search of opportunity, draining the island of talent and hope. A new generation Riccardo believes the antidote to this malaise is teaching entrepreneurial young Sicilians to cook, run businesses, and celebrate their heritage. He hopes to foster a new generation of entrepreneurs through his campaign, Mobster Munch, which aims to munch away Sicily's mobster past and dish out a future built on celebrating food and family. He was inspired to help Sicily's youth by his own grandmother who, amid the violence and secrecy, preserved traditional culinary skills. Although she was a matriarch to mobsters, Leone Malda Burzotta also taught Riccardo how to cook her original Sicilian recipes. 'Sicily's youth deserve to inherit the recipes, the laughter, and the hope my grandmother gave me," added Riccardo. 'Food brings people together. Family gives us strength. 'We can't let the mistakes of our fathers define our children's future.' As part of his campaign he will host pop-up feasts, cooking classes, and food festivals across Sicily and the UK. The message is simple but powerful - every bite is a step away from the Mafia's grip, and a step towards a future built on honest work where crime once ruled. 15 Riccardo's parents feared he would be drawn into a life of crime Credit: Collect

'Seventh circle of hell' death where man burned alive in 'worst execution ever'
'Seventh circle of hell' death where man burned alive in 'worst execution ever'

Irish Daily Mirror

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The most notorious of the early tyrants may have deserved karmic justice with a "seventh circle of hell" death however, it was not the widely hated ruler who met this gruesome fate - it was his brother. One of Rome's most violent leaders, Ezzelino III da Romano, was an Italian statesman during the 13th century and was the appointed lordship of several Italian provinces by Fredrick II, Holy Roman Emperor. This was during a time when Italian politics were dominated by the split between those who wanted the Emperor to dominate North Italian politics, the Ghibellines, and those who wanted the Pope to retain overall control, the Guelphs. Ezzelino slotted himself into the Ghibelline faction and imposed a violent tyranny over his subjects. As a result his people developed a deep, unwavering hatred for him. The Guelphs would eventually win in their quest to have him removed from power and Ezzelino died in prison from his injuries after being defeated by Guelph forces. However, some would say the tyrant got off lightly with his brother, Alberico da Romano bearing the brunt of the punishment for his brother's brutal rule. Alberico, after the death of his brother, tried to surrender to the Guelphs in order to save his family but they threw him in chains and made him watch as they chopped his young sons apart. He was then forced to standby as the women in his family were stripped naked and forced to walk naked through the streets before being burned alive. One Reddit user posted saying the man "was actually in the 7th layer of hell in Dante's inferno". If this wasn't revenge enough Aberico was then tortured with scalding hot irons before his wounded body, on the brink of death, was dragged through the streets by horse. Jimcomelately described the gory death: "Ezzelino was so unpopular with the locals that Alberico, after the death of his brother, tried to surrender himself to the Guelphs in order to save his family but they threw him in chains and made him watch as they chopped his young sons apart. "His female relatives were stripped naked and forced to walk naked through the streets before being burned alive. And after all this he was tortured with hot irons and dragged through the streets by a horse."

Moment idiot tourist SHATTERS crystal-studded ‘Van Gogh' chair after sitting on it as pal took a photo
Moment idiot tourist SHATTERS crystal-studded ‘Van Gogh' chair after sitting on it as pal took a photo

The Irish Sun

time2 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Moment idiot tourist SHATTERS crystal-studded ‘Van Gogh' chair after sitting on it as pal took a photo

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