Callisto Grandi was born in 1849 in Incisa in Val d'Arno, a small town in the region of Tuscany, Italy. Very little is documented about his early upbringing, but reports from the era describe him as a man of low intelligence and various physical deformities, which made him an outcast in his village. He worked as a craftsman and wagon repairman in Florence, earning a modest living while dealing with daily ridicule from both children and adults.

Locally, he was known by several cruel nicknames such as “Ventudito” (a reference to his six-toed foot) and “Carlino il Pelato” (“Bald Carlino”), a mocking term for his bald, disproportionately large head and short, stunted stature. These monikers reflected the harsh bullying he endured, particularly from the youth of the town who saw him as an object of ridicule and fun.

Although he remained outwardly reserved, his physical isolation and social exclusion led to the development of deep psychological scars. According to testimonies later provided during his trial, Grandi harbored growing resentment and rage toward the children who mocked him. Over time, this resentment evolved into a dangerous obsession with revenge, setting the stage for a series of brutal and tragic crimes that would shock Florence and captivate both the public and the psychiatric community, including criminologist Cesare Lombroso.

Grandi’s first known victim was 3-year-old Luigi Bonechi, who vanished on March 18, 1873. The toddler had been briefly left alone by his mother, Assunta, near the Arno River, and although extensive searches were conducted, no trace of the boy was found. The disappearance was initially treated as a likely drowning.

Almost two years passed before another child, 3-year-old Arturo Degli Innocenti, also disappeared on February 2, 1875, under similarly mysterious circumstances. Again, no body was found, and the case was presumed to be a drowning incident.

However, the pattern changed dramatically in August of 1875. On August 21, 9-year-old Fortunato Paladini went missing, followed a day later by 7-year-old Angelo Martelli. Both boys were last seen near Figline Valdarno. When Paladini’s straw hat was discovered near the dry summer riverbed of the Arno, suspicions grew that the boys had not drowned but instead may have been abducted or killed.

The case reached a turning point on August 29, 1875, when 9-year-old Amerigo Turchi disappeared while running errands near Grandi’s workshop. Minutes later, Amerigo’s mother, Rachele Turchi, became concerned when her son did not return. Soon, a neighbor heard screams from inside Grandi’s shop. Authorities were alerted and forced their way inside, discovering Amerigo covered in blood, battered, but alive.

Amerigo’s account revealed that Grandi had lured him in under the pretense of playing a game called Piattacuccù, which involved lying in a shallow pit. Once the boy complied, Grandi began to bury him and tried to crush his head with his foot. Amerigo escaped after biting his attacker and yelling for help.

Municipal guard Fortunato Piccioli arrested Grandi on the spot. During the subsequent investigation of the workshop, authorities made a gruesome discovery: the decomposing bodies of the four previously missing children were found buried beneath the store. Grandi immediately confessed. He claimed that he had killed the children because they had mocked him for his deformities and ridiculed his appearance. All four victims had been suffocated in the same pit dug by Grandi, then crushed using a heavy wheel from his wagon-repair tools.

Autopsies confirmed that the boys had been buried alive, with lungs showing signs of asphyxiation and severe cranial trauma. Their brains had been turned to pulp due to pressure applied during burial.

On December 18, 1876, Grandi was brought before the Florence Tribunal for sentencing. Although he openly confessed to the murders and gave detailed (yet shifting) motives for each child, the court considered testimony from medical professionals who believed he was mentally unfit to stand trial. Notably, Cesare Lombroso weighed in publicly, agreeing that Grandi exhibited signs of profound psychological impairment and should not be held legally responsible.

Despite this, on December 29, 1876, Grandi was sentenced to 20 years of incarceration. He was initially imprisoned at the Murate Prison in Florence, where he later requested a transfer to Montedomini hospital—this was denied. In 1895, he was moved to the San Salvi Psychiatric Hospital, where he remained until his death in 1911.

Grandi’s case continued to spark debate well into the next century. Scholars and criminologists discussed whether he had received appropriate treatment under the law or had been wrongfully imprisoned despite evident mental illness. In 1988, historian Patrizia Guarnieri revisited the case in a published study, drawing renewed attention to the intersection of criminal justice and psychiatric assessment in late 19th-century Italy.