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Telegraph
10-08-2025
- Telegraph
What drove an Italian mother to murder her son
It's a country where men are doted on by their adoring mothers, who cook and clean for them until they are finally ready to leave home. There is even a word for it: mammoni – mummy's boys, pampered princes who don't fly the nest until well into their thirties. So the nation was shocked when it emerged that a 61-year-old hospital nurse had murdered her grown-up son, cut him into pieces with a hacksaw, covered the remains in lime and crammed them into a bin. Lorena Venier confessed to the crime in her first hearing with prosecutors, telling them she had done 'a monstrous thing'. Neighbours in Gemona del Friuli, in the region of Friuli-Venezia-Guili in north-eastern Italy, said that news of the killing was shocking and baffling. 'She's a very affable woman and we had good relations with her,' said Alberto Guillan, a former soldier. 'We never heard any arguments coming from the house. The whole thing is inexplicable.' Ms Venier told police her son Alessandro, 35, had drug and alcohol problems and had become increasingly abusive to her and to his Colombian partner Mailyn Castro Monsalvo, 30, the mother of his six-month-old daughter. He was unemployed and refused to lift a finger around the house he and Ms Monsalvo shared with his mother, Ms Venier claims. And when he started talking about moving to Colombia, she feared that he might do his partner and child harm. 'Mailyn is the daughter that I never had,' Ms Venier, who raised her son alone after his Egyptian father abandoned them when he was young, told magistrates at a hearing on Aug 2. 'Mailyn was being beaten up, insulted and threatened many times with death. My son downplayed the post-natal depression she was suffering from. Alessandro was violent, Mailyn's life was in danger. 'I could not have allowed them to go to Colombia, Mailyn and the baby would have run very serious risks there. The only way to stop him was to kill him.' It was Ms Monsalvo, who Ms Venier said helped her in the killing, who alerted the authorities to what had happened. Mr Venier was killed on July 25, and on July 31, unable to keep the secret any longer, Ms Monsalvo told emergency services that her boyfriend had been murdered by his mother and they could find his remains in a barrel in the garage. The women allegedly gave Alessandro a glass of lemonade into which they had slipped a tranquilliser. It made him groggy but it didn't knock him out. Next, Ms Venier allegedly injected her son with two doses of insulin, which she says she obtained from the hospital where she worked. An insulin overdose, if untreated, it leads to coma, irreversible brain damage and death. Despite the injection, Mr Venier was still alive. The women allegedly finished him off first by smothering him with a pillow and then strangling him with a pair of his own bootlaces, according to his mother's testimony. 'I took care of the dismemberment myself,' she told police. 'I used a hacksaw and a sheet to hold the blood. I dissected him into three pieces.' She wrapped up the hunks of body, shoved them into a plastic barrel and covered them in lime. She was hoping that her son would not be missed – that the town would assume he had followed his plan to move to South America, but left behind his girlfriend and daughter. But she had not foreseen that her daughter-in-law, already in a fragile mental state because of post-natal depression, would break down and decide to confess all. Ms Venier, who is now in custody, accused of murder and concealing a body. Ms Monsalvo is suspected of instigation to murder. 'My client has made a full confession to the prosecutor,' Giovanni De Nardo, Ms Venier's lawyer, told Italy's national news agency, Ansa. 'She was lucid and aware during her confession, explaining in detail exactly what prompted her to act, her motives.' He has requested that his client undergo a psychiatric evaluation.' David Wilson, a prominent British criminologist, says it is a very singular case. 'In Western countries, only 10 per cent of people who kill are female. This case is a filicide, meaning a parent who kills a child, which is unusual. Among those cases, it is mostly parents killing young children. Killing a grown-up child is even more unusual.' The gruesome way in which the body was disposed of is striking, added Prof Wilson. 'The insulin, the tranquilliser – that is very typical of how women commit murder,' he said. 'But to chop up the body, that is a further stage and very unusual. It usually happens with someone who has medical training because it is actually very difficult to cut up a body. Her training as a nurse would also have given her the psychological robustness to do it.' Both women are now in custody, and Ms Monsalvo's baby is being looked after by social services back in Gemona. 'She is in a state of great difficulty,' said Ms Monsalvo's lawyer, Federica Tosel. 'She has been very confused and not able to face up to what happened. ' On Tuesday judges, lawyers and forensic experts will meet to determine when to carry out the post-mortem examination. There is no indication yet of a trial date.
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Motorsport world in mourning as 21-year-old driver Matteo Doretto dies after crashing into tree
The motorsport world has been rocked to its core with news of 21-year-old driver Matteo Doretto's death after his rally car crashed into a tree in Poland. The Italian was conducting a private testing session for the upcoming Rally Poland 'when he lost his life in an accident,' according to the European Rally Championship (ERC). It is understood Doretto, driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4, veered off track and slammed into a tree. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene, but he could not be saved. His co-driver, Samuele Pellegrino, was also involved in the crash but miraculously survived with only minor injuries. A spokesman for the Olsztyn City Fire Department said the impact was so violent that it took a long time to extract Doretto's body from the wreckage. The 21-year-old Doretto was the Italian junior champion last year and was in his first season in the ERC, where he was fourth in the junior standings. 'With potential in abundance, Matteo was polite, engaging but, above all, modest,' the ERC said in a tribute. The Automobile Club of Italy also paid tribute to the promising driver. 'The tragic news of the passing of Matteo Doretto, a young talent from Pordenone in motorsport, saddens us deeply,' the governor of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Massimiliano Fedriga said in a statement. 'On behalf of the entire regional community, I express my sincere condolences and closeness to his family, friends and the entire sports community that was close to him. 'A young man who had a promising career ahead of him and who was able to distinguish himself through passion, commitment and determination has left us. 'In the face of such a tragedy,' concluded the governor, 'the entire region is moved to join those who loved him.'
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Travel + Leisure
26-05-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This Underrated City Is Called the 'Coffee Capital' of Italy—and It Was Named One of the Best Places to Travel in 2025
Take an evening stroll on Piazza Unita d'Italia, the 'living room' of Trieste and the largest seafront square in Europe. Enjoy fin de siècle glamour and views of the Gulf of Trieste from a balcony suite at Savoia Excelsior Palace, one of the city's grand dame hotels. Enjoy a guided tour of Miramare Castle, the home of the ill-fated Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, and be sure to spend time in the peaceful botanical gardens. If you're visiting in early October, don't miss Barcolana, the largest sailing race in the world, with thousands of boats participating. Sip on literary history at Caffè San Marco, the vintage coffeehouse where James Joyce and his contemporaries once held court. On just about any list of must-see places in Italy, Trieste isn't usually in the top 10. But one visit to this elegant city, with its broad, palace-lined piazzas, impressive literary chops, and fascinating history, and you'll soon see what the rest of the world is missing out on. Facing the northernmost Adriatic Sea, Trieste is in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, set on a sliver of land just a few kilometers wide and surrounded on two sides by Slovenia. For more than 500 years, it was one of the most strategically important cities for the Habsburg Dynasty, and later, a crucial seaport for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the Cold War, Trieste's location just outside the Iron Curtain made it a hotbed for espionage, defections, smuggling, and other international intrigues. The city has long attracted artists, writers, and intellectuals, and a cerebral, film-noir-like vibe still pervades, especially in the city center. Modern Trieste is a mix of its past—part Italian, part Slavic-Slovenian, and part Austrian-German. And while the city's geopolitical importance may have faded, its deepwater port is increasingly attracting large cruise ships that have been banished from Venice, located roughly two hours southwest. That means more and more travelers are discovering the sophisticated charms of this seaside city. Travel + Leisure even named it one of the best places to travel in 2025. So make sure to grab your seat at a sidewalk cafe before they're all taken. Guest room in Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort. Trieste's reigning five-star property, Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta, overlooks Piazza Unita d'Italia and features rooms and suites with a spot-on mix of modern and early 20th-century style. The James Joyce Suite pays tribute to the Irish novelist, who spent much of his adult life and his most productive years in Trieste—even if he could never have afforded such posh digs. Rooms at Savoia Excelsior Palace, first opened in 1911, can feel a little business-like, says Florence-based editor Mary Gray. 'But you really can't beat the port views from the suite balconies.' We love that the hotel retains so many original details, including elaborate molded ceilings and an exuberant white stucco facade. 'Triestini are warm and welcoming,' says Gray. 'I learned this on my first visit when I stayed at this cozy hole-in-the-wall hotel within walking distance of all the main attractions.' Family-run and set in a house from the 1700s, this intimate 10-room lodging has exposed stone walls and wood-beam ceilings. There are also five self-catering apartments for rent, some of which have balconies. Set about 30 minutes from Trieste, this seafront resort offers easy access to the city, though it's tempting to just stay on property and enjoy the ample amenities, including a European-style Purobeach club with multiple pools plus a spa, shops, and several restaurants and bars. Aerial view of Miramare he sailed off to Mexico, where his short-lived reign as Emperor Maximilian I ended in front of a firing squad, Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian oversaw the construction of Castello di Miramare. Set on a dramatic promontory on the Gulf of Trieste, the striking white stone castle contains its original furnishings and artwork, including the archduke's study, designed to resemble a wooden ship's interior. Our guided tour brought the castle and the stories of Ferdinand and his bride, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, to vivid life. The extensive, wooded gardens are delightful. Trieste is known for its grand 19th-century architecture, but its past dates back much further—to the second millennium B.C.E. The Città Vecchia, or Old City, is a medieval area built over older Roman ruins, on narrow streets which likely follow their original Roman layout. Home to a Roman theater, charming litle cafes, shops, and guesthouses, the Città Vecchia is a fine base for exploring Trieste. There's a lot to unpack at Museo d'Antichità J.J. Winckelmann, Trieste's main archaeological museum, which contains artifacts from the immediate area and throughout the Mediterranean. But according to British writer William Cook, 'The main draw is the eerie memorial to the man after whom it's named, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, a German art historian and archaeologist who is widely regarded as the founding father of modern archaeology. Winckelmann was passing through Trieste when he befriended a young man, Francesco Arcangeli, who murdered him here, for reasons which remain unclear.' Winckelmann is buried at Trieste Cathedral. Ringed by neoclassical and Liberty-style buildings, Piazza Unita d'Italia is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe for its grand dimensions and dramatic seaside setting. By day, you can ogle yachts in the Gulf of Trieste and espy the distant Dolomites. Come evening, sip a spritz or a prosecco in one of the elegant cafes fronting the piazza. In the summertime, the piazza is the setting for concerts and other events. A restaurant on the water in Trieste. Vegetarians, or anyone who's not in the mood for a heaping plate of boiled meat, might find this historic eatery somewhat challenging. But it's a Trieste tradition and typical of the Austro-Hungarian buffets that serve meat, meat, and more meat, accompanied by pickles, sauerkraut, potatoes, and spicy mustard. 'For dinner, it's well worth the cab fare to venture outside the center for comforting goulash and other delicacies in an elegant, old-world lodge setting,' says Gray of Antica Trattoria Suban. It's been in the same family since its 1865 debut, when the original Suban used his lottery winnings to open a restaurant. Despite a meat-heavy menu, vegetarians will find plenty of choices here. Trieste is known as the coffee capital of Italy, and that's saying a lot considering how much Italians love their java. Caffè degli Specchi, located right on Piazza Unita d'Italia, offers the quintessential coffee-drinking experience in Trieste, with tufted chairs and antique fixtures, plus espresso and other coffee drinks, pastries, and brunch fare served with much pomp and circumstance. This Trieste institution lacks the piazza views of the more famous Caffè degli Specchi, but according to Gray, 'the people-watching is equally excellent, and there's a whole bookshop inside.' James Joyce was a regular, and he and his contemporaries would still feel at home in the well-preserved Art Nouveau interior. Archway leading to Miramare Park in Trieste, calls winters in Trieste 'gloomy in the best possible way,' but visitors not in the mood for cold, windy days will do best to visit from late spring to early fall. The Barcolana, the world's largest sailing race, takes place at the beginning of October and involves thousands of sailboats of all sizes. Be sure to book your hotel well in advance if you plan to visit during this period. In the summer months, the normally chilly waters of the northern Adriatic Sea are warm enough for swimming, and beaches near Trieste, especially Barcola and Grignano, fill up with sunseekers. A busy street in Old Town, Trieste. Trieste can be reached by train, plane or car. Trenitalia regional and high-speed trains from Venice travel at least once an hour to Trieste, and the journey takes between two and three hours. Private high-speed carrier Italo also runs trains between Venice and Trieste. Reachable by train from Trieste, Trieste Airport is about 30 minutes from the city, and welcomes flights from within Italy and other points in Europe. The closest airport with flights arriving from the U.S. is Venice Marco Polo Airport, about a two-hour drive from Trieste. Much of Trieste's historic center, as well as the Città Vecchia, is walkable. The city is served by an extensive bus network operated by Trieste Trasporti, which also offers ferry service to points along the coastline, including Miramare Castle. Delfino Verde also offers seasonal ferry service. Taxis are readily available in Trieste, and you can call them via Radio Taxi Trieste or the Uber app. It's not necessary to have a car to explore Trieste, though a rental may come in handy for reaching suburban areas or venturing into neighboring Slovenia or Croatia. Otherwise, if you drive to Trieste, you'll likely be able to park your rental car and stick to exploring on foot or via public transportation.
