A not-so-well-known case that has shocked Italy: the story of the so-called Acid Couple through a detailed reconstruction of the attacks and an in-depth analysis of the relationship between Martina Levato and Alexander Boettcher. A case where violence was not impulsive, but shared and normalized inside an intimate bond. The first disturbing example of folie à deux explored on this podcast, the 7th episode will continue this pattern.

Episode 4 already told the story of the Circeo Massacre. Episode 5 reveals what happened after.

This is the story of Angelo Izzo: from his privileged childhood in Rome, to his far-right militancy, to decades spent drifting between prisons, manipulating psychologists and judges.

It is the story of a fake rehabilitation that opened the prison doors allowing Izzo to kill again.

This episode walks you through the full story of one of the most famous cases in Italy: the Circeo Massacre. You'll hear how two girls were lured to a seaside villa outside of Rome, how a night that seemed ordinary turned into 36 hours of terror and how one of the girls managed a desperate escape that stunned Italy.

Join me, Martina, into a detailed, chronological reconstruction of one of Italy's most infamous case.

Giulia Cecchettin was 22, just about to graduate. But her destiny was to become a symbol of a nation’s sickness: the normalization of violence against women

In June 2000, in the quiet mountain town of Chiavenna, three teenage girls lured a nun out of her convent and murdered her in what the press called a “satanic ritual.”But behind the headlines, the truth was far more disturbing.No cult. No demon. Just boredom, emptiness, and the terrifying banality of evil.

Join me, Martina, as I tell the true story of Sister Maria Laura Mainetti: a woman who dedicated her life to helping others, and whose final words were, “God, forgive them.”

This episode tells the disturbing true story of Marco Mariolini — known as “The Anorexic Hunter.”

His obsession with control turned into abuse, and his story ended in one of the most shocking crimes of 1990s Italy.

Written and narrated by Martina Scandagli.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: eating disorders specifically anorexia, psychological violence.

📩 Contact: [email protected]

The official trailer of The Dark Side of Italy, a true-crime podcast uncovering the country’s most disturbing and fascinating real stories.
From organized crime to solitary killers, these are the shadows behind Italy’s beauty — stories that shaped its darkest chapters.

🎙️ Created and narrated by Martina Scandagli.