The mysteries of Moltrasio

Lake Como, like all famous lakes, is a land rich in legends and secrets that fascinate visitors from all over the world.

From the “Lariosauro” (Nessie’s cousin) to the haunted villas, from ancient legends to the mystery of Mussolini’s gold, there are dozens of stories, more or less real, which surround the region in a fascinating aura of mystery.

Today we talk about enigmas and legends about the town of Moltrasio, including crimes, historical plots and natural secrets.

The beautiful “Ghita”

According to legend, dating back to the mid-19th century, “Ghita” (diminutive of Margaret) was a beautiful girl from Moltrasio. One day he went to Cernobbio to visit relatives and enjoy a good dinner of polenta.

On her way home, late at night and completely alone, she met a man. Initially mistaken for her boyfriend Tonio, he was actually a criminal named Tita, perhaps a Swiss smuggler, who tried to capture her.

Panicked, the young woman flung herself into a ravine, praying to Virgin Mary to save her; she also took Tita with her, who fell into the cliff and drowned in the dark waters of the lake. Ghita, however, managed to save herself, remaining entangled in the brambles with her clothes.

According to legend, since then, when the weather is stormy, a fire appears right where the smuggler fell; perhaps his damned spirit, in eternal punishment?

But that’s not all! In 1946 the psychic Madama Santuzza had a vision of Ghita’s ghost, who appeared in December in the form of a “waving, diaphanous and phosphorescent sheet”. The apparition, it is said, was documented by the local “Corriere Comasco” complete with photographs… disturbing, isn’t it?

Even today, the landing on Via Bellini (near Villa Fisogni, next to the Belgiojosos‘ residence) is called the “Bella Ghita” dock.

1910: the trunk murder

Decidedly less evocative and more dramatic is the tragic story of the “trunk murder“, a terrible crime occurred in 1910.

On 9 June 1910, some fishermen found a strange trunk in Moltrasio, which emerged on the shores of the lake. Out of curiosity, they decided to open it, not imagining they would find macabre contents.

The chest in fact contained the body of Mary Scott, an American actress who had recently married 21-year-old Porter Charlton; they were spending a holiday on Lake Como.

The newspapers, which initially thought it was the murder of a great international celebrity (but Scott wasn’t that famous!), reconstructed the woman’s turbulent life. she was divorced and had had several love relationships that ended in conflict, also due to the actress’s difficult character. Her new husband, 16 years younger, seemed truly in love, to the point of falsifying his date of birth to “disguise” the age difference.

After an ocean crossing, the two lovebirds had chosen a quiet villa in Moltrasio, where they had led a retired life until their tragic discovery. Porter also seemed to have disappeared, and investigators initially feared the worst, hypothesizing a double murder. Suspicion fell on Konstantin Ispolatov, a bizarre retired Russian intellectual who knew the couple and acted as their interpreter, but the man was cleared.

The truth was simpler and bitter: Porter was arrested in the United States, disembarked from a steamer, and confessed to the murder of his wife. In 1913 he was extradited to Italy, but his sentence was light, as he was recognized as mentally ill, and he returned to America as early as 1915.

The secrets of Mussolini and Churchill

History also has its secrets, and Moltrasio seems to have been the center of a series of plots and conspiracies at the end of the Second World War.

On 27 April 1945 the former dictator Benito Mussolini was captured in Dongo (on Lake Como) by Italian partisans, and shot nearby the following day. However, not everyone was in favor of the Duce’s execution, and there were those who planned to hand him over to the Anglo-Americans; and that’s where Moltrasio came into play.

There are countless versions, often conflicting, of what happened in those days. According to a local theory, Mussolini should have been taken to Moltrasio, then transferred to a safe place and handed over to the Allies. Others say, instead, that the destination was Brunate, home to a communist headquarters.

Whatever the objective, some are convinced that Mussolini’s convoy actually passed through Moltrasio on the night between 27 and 28 April, but the mission was not successful… the Duce was thus brought back to Dongo, where he would later meet his death.

The Italian dictator was not the only protagonist of the war to pass through Moltrasio. A few months later, in September 1945 (shortly after the end of the conflict), Winston Churchill went to town, officially for a three-week holiday dedicated to painting, his favorite hobby.

Many, however, believed it unlikely that the English Prime Minister (recently defeated in the elections) would go on holiday to Italy, precisely in the area where, a few weeks earlier, Mussolini had tried in vain to escape. Furthermore, his trip was paid for by the British Crown.

According to some scholars, Churchill’s stay had the aim of rediscovering (and destroying) the compromising correspondence between the former Prime Minister and the Duce, dating back to the 1930s, which would have reflected poorly Sir Winston and His Majesty’s government. It is not known, however, whether his mission was successful…

Fraudster or spy? Macciacchini’s murder

We return to crime news for the mysterious story of Eva Macciacchini, a dark affair that leads to espionage (or maybe not).

It all began on the night of January 18, 1947; Milan was paralyzed by snow, cars and trams blocked by adverse weather conditions.

A worker returning home was horrified to find the half-naked body of a woman abandoned in an alley; the killer had tried to make his victim unrecognizable, using petrol. After a week, the investigators managed to identify her: she was Eva Macciacchini, a 52-year-old from Varese, well known to the police.

The woman had had an adventurous life, thanks to her career as a skilled fraudster. Strange rumors circulated, there were those who fantasized about her travels abroad, and those who said that she had been a fascist spy.

But what does all this have to do with Moltrasio? Well, in one of her latest adventures, Macciacchini was hired as a maid by Baroness Ruby Nalder von Saderhelm, who lived in Villa Passalacqua, right in Moltrasio. The scammer, who said her name was Maria Pozzi, managed to gain the trust of the noblewoman, with the aim of robbing her. On 14 October 1946 she led a gang of criminals into her villa and managed to make a rich loot.

Macciacchini disappeared until, 3 months later, she was found lifeless in an alley in Milan. The crime, as well as the robbery in Moltrasio, remained unsolved, suggesting a settlement of scores within the gang of thieves.

Ten years later, however, the “frightening, inexplicable case” of the “adventuress” returned to the news pages of the “Corriere della Sera”. In fact, there were alternative theories to the robbery, which brought into play – once again – Mussolini’s correspondence, this time with General Rommel. According to this 1957 version, Macciacchini was actually involved in an intrigue to gain possession of the precious letters, which the woman wanted as a “bargaining currency” to obtain money and favors.

The new revelations from the witnesses, however, did not shed light on the matter, which still remains unsolved.

The forgotten cave

Not all mysteries concern human affairs; there are some – perhaps the most beautiful – focused on the secrets of nature. Few people know it, but in Moltrasio there is a cave that has been forgotten for decades.

In 2021 the Moltrasio Explorers Group, led by Emiliano Aquilini, finally demonstrated that the “Purina cave“, which was rumored in local legends, really existed!

Taking advantage of the historical speleology archives, an ancient map and a healthy spirit of adventure, the group of modern explorers managed to identify the very narrow entrance, which then leads to a large and suggestive ravine that extends over 52 meters in total.

The group aims to make it a tourist attraction, which can be accessed in complete safety.

Marco Mocchetti