Naman Shrestha
Netflix’s ‘The Monster of Florence’ is a four-part Italian true crime drama series that focuses on the havoc wreaked by the titular serial killer in Italy for nearly two decades. The double murders between 1968 and 1985 were reportedly committed by the Monster of Florence, whose mysterious identity baffled the Italian authorities. In their search for the serial killer, they suspected various individuals, including Salvatore Vinci, who was well-acquainted with one of the first victims, Barbara Locci.
Salvatore Vinci Allegedly Had an Extramarital Affair With Barbara Locci
The son of Antonio Vinci and Teresa Mascia, Salvatore Vinci originally hails from Villacidro in the province of Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, where he was born on December 1, 1935. He grew up surrounded by the company of six siblings — four sisters, Maria, Lucia, Carmela and Giuseppina, as well as two brothers, Giovanni and Francesco. When he was in his early 20s, he tied the knot with Barbarina Steri in January 1958. She was 17 at the time, and the marriage was reportedly an arranged one. In just over a year, the pair started a family of their own, welcoming a son named Antonio Vinci in February 1959. Reports alleged that Barbarina was having a romantic affair with her boyfriend, Antonio Pili.
According to reports, Barbarina tragically passed away due to gas asphyxiation from a cylinder sometime during the night of January 14-15, 1960. It has been reported that a cylinder tube was found resting on her pillow, and her death was ruled a suicide. However, their son, Antonio, was unharmed. By February or March, Salvatore had relocated to Lastra a Signa in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, specifically to the residence of his brother Giovanni at Via Calcinaia, 39. Soon after, he moved to a rental house that belonged to Ornella Squilloni. Eventually, Giovanni introduced him to Stefano Mele and his wife, Barbara Locci. It has been alleged that Giovanni was Barbara’s lover.
One thing led to another, and Stefano welcomed Salvatore into their home in Via Romania 3 in Capannuccia as a tenant. Per reports, Salvatore soon began a romantic relationship with Barbara. In April 1962, he got married to Rosina Massa. In the same year, they gave birth to their son, Marco. Over the years, they moved multiple times — from Via del Pecchiolo in Calenzano to Via Allegri 63 and Piazza Carmignani 10 in the Settimello district. According to records, on July 25, 1964, Francesco Purpura found his daughter sharing an intimate moment with Salvatore’s brother, Francesco Vinci. Following the discovery, the latter reportedly threatened the woman’s father.
Salvatore Vinci’s Second Wife Ran Away With Another Man
Later, Salvatore was reported to have executed further threats against the father by turning up at the Purpura residence with a steel cable. Subsequently, the authorities became involved, and the brothers were ordered to serve 15 days in jail on February 24, 1965. They were later pardoned, per reports. Salvatore and Rosina added another member to their family, Giancarlo, in the same year. On 28 July 1966, the pair packed their bags once again and ultimately settled with their kids at Via XXV Aprile, 77, in La Briglia in Vaiano, the Province of Prato. Soon, Salvatore and Barbarina’s Antonio Vinci reunited with them. In 1969, Salvatore found a home at Via Pistoiese 185 in Prato and also welcomed another son, Roberto.
Despite being married, Salvatore allegedly maintained his affair with Barbara Locci. While her husband, Stefano, was hospitalized for several days in February 1968, he moved into her house temporarily. That same year, Barbara and her lover, Antonio Lo Bianco, became the first victims of the Monster of Florence. By September 1970, he had moved to a new apartment in Florence. Given tension within the household, Salvatore’s son, Antonio Vinci, moved out of the residence in 1973.
The following year, his wife, Rosina, also ran away from the house with their children to stay with her relatives in Sardinia for a while, before returning to him. After Rosina ran away with another man named Sergio in July 1980, Salvatore filed a complaint against her with the police, reporting her for abandonment of the marital home. However, she was acquitted of the charge on March 2, 1981. For a short while, he also had a relationship with a woman named Ada Pierini, who left him in 1983. Later, he got into a relationship with another woman named Antonietta D’Onofrio.
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Salvatore Vinci Seemingly Settled in a Spanish Town After His Acquittal
Around 1985, given his affair with Barbara Locci before her demise, Salvatore Vinci was considered a potential suspect in the eight double murder cases that haunted Italy for nearly two decades. In 1986, after the last recorded Monster murder, he was arrested and charged with the murder of his first wife, Barbarina Steri, whose death was ruled a suicide but suspected to be murder. While they had him in custody, the authorities tried to link him to the double homicides committed by the Monster of Florence. During the investigation, it was alleged that Salvatore also had an affair with Barbara’s husband, Stefano Mele.
However, his trial resulted in his acquittal, after which Salvatore moved away from the limelight and disappeared. Reports suggest that he left Italy and moved to Venezuela before going to Andalusia in Spain. He allegedly returned to Villacidro, Italy, in 1995 for a few months with a Spanish woman. Although there were rumors about him passing away, it is alleged that as of 2020, he was still alive and residing in a small Spanish village, from where he frequently made several calls to Villacidro.
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