Ladro di cuori

On the great landscape made by the breeze of the sea and the colors of the Mediterranean,
the wind blows and the people laugh, the sun comes down and the light goes on. Sicily, what
a beautiful place to be. Those were the words by the great Ladri di cuori. I still remember
those days where the land was of the people and the rich were kind. We had it all. In the
great era of the 1960s a man stood against the order and rules made by the powerful and
the corrupt. Alessandro di Luna was his name, my friend from long ago. His great day
arrived, he dressed up in his impeccably tailored suit dyed on a deep burgundy to perfection.
His signature accessory, a wine red silk cravat, nevertheless, always perfectly knotted. His
most priceless possession was his bright red Veloce, which on his hand made him the most
known and respected man on the southern coasts of Sicily. He was fascinated by the arts
and theater, but behind that mask, hidden a mastermind of theft, an actor, an entertainer, a
magician, a hero and a villain.

His charisma, for the drama and spectacle of his heists, and his methods as elaborate as
they are ingenious. His stage, the glittering world of opera houses and exclusive galas,
where he often performed his "disappearances" with a flourish. His heart, however,was
divided between the resplendent art of the Renaissance and the dazzling allure of gold. His
passion for art drives his thefts, as he rescues masterpieces from oblivion, believing that
they should be appreciated by those who truly understand their value. The gold, on the other
hand, is a practical necessity, to fulfill the dream of the most needed as he once needed it.
Yet, it is not the thrill of theft alone that motivates Alessandro. His heartstrings are strummed
by the melodies of Elena Fontana, a renowned opera singer from Venice whose voice is said
to make the angels weep. Elena is both his muse and his Achilles’ heel. She performs
nightly at the Massimo Theatre, where he is a frequent visitor, often disguised as an
enthusiastic patron or a charming benefactor during her monthly presentations.

There was no doubt that he was not going to miss her show. As he went out to take a ship
through the Tyrrhenian sea he dressed up in a gala suit made out of white silk of the highest
quality and a mulberry palazzo. He placed on his face a pair of sunglasses and a bowtie of
the same color as his car. Once there he entered the doors of the theater, people of all high
places passed him as he felt the breath of every member of the high classes in the world
which had reunited just to one single thing, Elena’s voice. Inside of his mind as the show
started he felt the brightness of Elena’s dress and the breathtaking voice from the deepest of
her soul. Although her beauty and her performances, a celebration of art, they also
symbolize the bittersweet tension between their professional and personal lives.

Despite his whimsical, almost childlike demeanor, Alessandro was deeply conflicted. His
love for is pure, but he was aware that his life of crime could place her in danger. He
dreamed of a future where he can leave behind the world of theft and embrace a life where
they could be together without secrets. Once the show finished he glimpsed onto his next
heist, The Birth of Venus by Botticelli that was centered on the place of his deepest
memories as he onced used to have a life in such a place, Florence a city of desire and lust.
Deep down the various faces Alessandro truly was like no other person, from the streets of
Florence to his fame at his theft.
Alessandro in reality chose to keep such a name as an escape to his humble origins. Born
from a poor mother on the streets of Florence, he grew up as a son of a dancer and a street
magician until he was 8 years old, when war broke and he fled to the south of Italy as a
refuge of war, after a series of revolutionary attempts, it ended with his only family driving
him to forget about his past and follow a path of corruption and disgrace. At 15 years old he
decided to stop his pain and escape his sorrow by taking the money he had collected
throughout his solitude and use it to be free. Although his youth had its failures he saw a way
to fulfill his heart by helping others in a way that he became known by his act rather than his
motives in a way that he made himself a symbol of liberty against the greedy and ignorant.

As he grew he stole more and more from those ignorant and gave most to the ones below,
although also keeping some for himself, that of him. Alessandro was, after all, a kind man
and a good fellow. I remember when I met him, I was a young boy and he was just finishing
to steal money from a corrupt chief. He was inside a church hiding from the police that
followed him around. We were just teenagers, both of us were just 17. Due to kindness I
helped him to hide inside a locker behind the crucifix. Once the police went away, I let him
out and from that day onward we met always at noon in a small cafe next to the sea. One
day he came and told me that he finally collected enough money to go to a college and he
asked which one I was going to, I told him about it and he smiled energetically. Next week he
was not in the cafe for our normal chat and I just thought if he might have gotten himself
arrested again.

A month passed and I entered college, once inside I saw him smirking at me from the far
and as a shadow he reached from behind appearing next to me without me even noticing, I
jumped as he said my name and in surprise I only gently punched his shoulder and we went
laughing to our respective classes. I never thought I might see him in such robes, from that
day onward he seemed different as he started to feel free and enthusiastic about almost
everything.

One day before our exams he met with a fairy student from next door, without me noticing he
finally managed to find someone to fill what was left in his heart. She was Elena, in the end,
he was always ready to see her each day and once I even helped him to reach her dorm
inside the 5th floor of the building. In the end he falled and we laughed for hours. From that
we became an inseparable trio as, without Elena noticing, he and I went in the midst of the
night, to get her a gift for his birthday. We planned to steal a sapphire ring inside a pristine
museum but in the process I accidentally stomped on an alarm making me be arrested. He
managed to escape but never made it back on the campus. It broke Elena’s heart to never
see him again. Although I am the only one that knows that he was still there as I knew him
from long ago and I knew that he was always there, in the shadows and the crowd.

I was freed after 2 months of prison where after my release I decided to follow him no matter
what and one day be able to bring him back as my friend. But such a thing was an
impossibility as after 10 years it took for me to see him again in his most famous
presentation and theft that launched him to glory as he stole the most priceless collar in the
world which was originally about to be sold to an eccentric collector. On live TV I saw him,
with a long dark cape on the back and inside a powerful red, a black as night suit with a
crimson neck piece and an obscure mask covering his nose and mouth but his eyes. The
lights of the streets appeared as reflectors in a stage as he signaled to the camera and
presented the collar in his hands and then jumped down the building to the roof of the next
and so on. Once I saw it I knew it was him thanks to the color of his eyes and his
movements, that were shift and carefully performed to perfection as lights followed him from
roof to roof and finished in an alley were he made a reverence and kneeled to cover himself
with his cape and with a loud “Grazie” he vanished. Later on he was all over the news, he
appeared as a menace to society, a celebrity, and an artist by his presentation.

A week passed and once again he appeared in the newspaper by being seen in a black
tunic with a black hat with a red stripe in it and this time he appeared in the top of an
apartment building owned by a corrupt man known for stealing all abuse of goods instead of
giving it to the needy. I saw as he swung from each rooftop in the area and tossed himself
down a train line to escape the police on top of him, he laughed and made sarcastic
comments towards the camera as if he was part of a comedy show and then he grabbed on
the door of a bus and disappeared once again.

Luckily for me after graduation I became a news reporter and managed to travel to most of
his planned events seen by thousands around the globe. On the other hand Elena managed
to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer and managed to place herself as the silver angel of
Venessisa. I collected all her disks and went to some of her shows but I was now capable of
telling her about Alessandro’s new glory as he was now known to have broken the hearth of
an Austrian dancer in a show presented in front of the big leagues of theater and also
shattered the hearth of a lone reporter from the US as he stole a important piece of art from
her father, a despicable politician. Thanks to his actions he was named here in town as the
Ladro di cuori also known as, Thief of Hearts.

As his strikes became more prominent and more enthusiastic one man set his life to make
sure he was behind bars, that man was deputy chief Dominic Rossi, the man who’s ego was
set upon making Alessandro be seen as the menace he is placed by himself. They first met
as deputy Rossi as in charge of safekeeping a unique jewel in Louvre Museum in a once in a
time exposition that as the lights turned on the piece was gone and the alarm was set. He
ran towards the roof of the place and saw the shadow and prince of theft standing with the
lights of the night making his spectacle, but he was no fool and ran directly to him only to find
a mannequin dressed in Alessandro’s robes. As Rossi tossed the figure aside he saw the
real Ladro di Cuori laughing at him and running to the streets and jokingly leaving a trace of
paint all over the museum’s entrance. For that humiliation Rossi promised himself to capture
Alessandro no matter what.

Since that day the two of them met, there's always been an eternal chase, a cat and mouse
game that always ends with the mouse running loose. Each chase only made Rossi more
eager to arrest the Ladro di Cuori but as he did Alessandro always had a way of toying with
him to even once dressing as him and making his own men to jump him at his office. I know
this since I usually speak with the deputy chief in his free time as he gives me information for
my column in the diary post. Although of his manners he is truly one charismatic fellow who
sits calmly wearing his long wool coat and a greenish brown suit as he sips every morning
his coffee and smokes a lone cigarette each afternoon as he seeks for Alessandro’s next
act. Deputy chief Rossi has become a good friend of mine in the past couple months but with
all the time we have spent together he seems to not see any suspicion about where I get my
information or knowledge about his praised enemy.
One night I was almost unable to control my laughter as I saw Rossi enter the usual dinner
with his robes all drenched in colorful paint as he had just returned from a failed attempt to
catch Alessandro. He told me that as they managed to surround the great Ladro di Cuori he
saw how he pulled a rope and litres of paint fell, soaking the deputy and his men as
Alessandro ran laughing to the shadows.

Then suddenly his acts stopped after his 40th strike and he was not seen for over two long
months. All because of the day he made his biggest mistake as on a dark summer night he
caused ill towards a fair lady on his runaway and almost got arrested by stopping to lament
on his action. Suddenly, one day I received a nock on my front door and once I opened it
there he was, the same friend I once knew, the very same lone kid I became friends with, the
one boy who never came back to prevent harm to those around him, dressed in a white shirt
with black pants and a scarlet tie in his neck. I welcomed him in without a sound, he sat in
the chair next to the window where he turned to me and asked me if I was interested in
helping him in one last theft before going to make himself forgiven by Elena by going away
from her. I told him that I wouldn’t help him and instead I explained and asked him what was
of him in the time he was gone, he told me that he managed to make a fortune thanks to
support from people close to him on his travels mixed with some of the things he managed
to steal but asked me if I could at least visit his place the next day.

The next morning he guided me to his new home near the sands of the Mediterranean and
the waves that clashed near the place. In there I saw a huge house made of rock and wood,
the walls were painted in an olive green color and the floor was a dark brown thanks to the
pine wood used in it. In his dining room we sat to discuss and he opened his idea and it was
to make his robbery on the same day of Elena’s presentation to let her see him one more
time before finally leaving his life of theft and laying low on his peace. I said to him that
because I was there for him and him for me I would help him a last time and created a plan
to make his entrance right from the main gate as I sended a article in my paper column
about the return of the Ladro di cuori to mainland Italy at exactly 10pm of the next week to
gather a crowd.

The great day arrived and he appeared dressed in his tailored burgundy suit riding his
Veloce and in there what was a dream became a reality as not a small crowd appeared but it
was people from around the world wearing copies and costumes of his previous designs and
presentations shouting in chant his name in front of the building. The gathered crowd came
from the lowest of society to those who were pushed away by ambition. The police were all
around the place and even special forces from various countries were in the area as I saw a
group clearing the alleys around and members of the INTERPOL around the roofs getting
ready for his common escapes. It was 9:50 of the night and I said my goodbyes to my old
friend and he didn’t turned back to me, he went into the crowd to me to not see him ever
again as Alessandro as that name was now lost to his ambitions but in his try to flee from his
new name he only embraced it.

At exactly 10 o'clock the alarm of the museum rang and the crowd cheered up in enthusiasm
and some even shouted his name even harder than before and some attempted to cross the
line made by the police. But nothing happened, he froze as he holded the piece in his hands
and thought about the one he cared the most and thanked his mother for the love she gave
her and to his father for the wonders he showed him back in the early days and walked
without the piece. As the crowd chanted the police took action and more than 20 people
were arrested. Lucky for me it was not my case this time, but I saw how the famous symbol
of liberty and justice Ladro di cuori raised from the stars as his suit shined by the lights of the
alarms and the rings of the cars around, he lifted a laugh and reverenced to the people
gathered and he threw a single rose to the crowd and jumped towards everyone, at the
same time Elena started with her most famous interpretation Verdi’s “La donna è mobile”.

The police ran inside the crowd and everyone there covered himself in their dresses making
the search of him an impossibility until the sound of clicking metal called the attention of
everyone as he stood on top of a pole smirking to the police and waving his hand to them in
salute. “ Is my pleasure to announce my retirement, ladies and gentlemen, this is my
goodbye to you all” He said as he cutted a rope next to his hand and suddenly he was
launched towards the rooftop of a store next door. In there he stumbled upon a couple of
army men waiting for him and he only made a sarcastic joke about their bad job of keeping
an eye on him as he passed by them.

Suddenly from behind a couple of guards of the place opened fire towards him but were
unable to land a single hit to him, he continued to run with a smile on his face and a grinning
laugh with each jump and swift swing he made. Although the event was massive, there was
a feeling of emptiness in his eyes, as if something was missing. He stopped running for a
moment to glance at the gathered crowd and he raised his hand and with a kind wave he
jumped from the rooftop.

The police ran towards the falling position only to find his clothes tossed in a dumpster
nearby, with a small note with his signature and his cloak. I smiled as the commotion
dissipated and the powers of justice and order retired only for me to turn around and be
greeted by his figure sitting in a cafe chair nearby. He laughed with me as we smiled at each
other and he told me how he placed the piece back and how his heartbeat stopped his soul
from acting and how the call of Elena love changed his mind.

He stopped speaking to stand from his chair and told me that now it was time for him to fulfill
his promise. He ran out of the cafe and hopped in his car and drove as fast as he could to
the theater and before his arrival he saw how he was being pursued by a single car. He saw
one of the officers from the robbery and recognized him by his laugh. The officer halted his
car and almost caused an accident and alerted every law enforcer to catch him. In his
runaway he managed to get to the theater at exactly 10 pm, the exact moment for Elena’s
last song.

I went as fast as I could to the place. Once I heard that he was found, I hopped on my
motorbike and drove right behind the pursuers. When I arrived, the place was surrounded by
the police but I was able to get inside by the back of the place from a small door we used to
go through when we were young.

Right as I entered I saw Elena singing her interpretation of the masterpiece from Giacomo
Puccini and Giovacchino Forzano ¨O mio babbino caro¨. Her voice was like the singing of
the angels, pure, sincere but tragic. Her notes managed to reach to the deepest of the heart
and give a hug of love towards her broken heart, lonely and waiting for her long lost love to
come once again and tell him what she wanted to say on that fateful night. As she chatted I
felt a warmness in my soul as I saw him, my friend, my partner, my companion, and my hero,
standing right above the curtains watching her interpretation of such a marvelous piece. But
right as the music started to fade the place was inevitably surrounded and he made a
decision that would mark him forever. He jumped.

Such a decision changed the way of his heart and how his life used to be, to open a doorway
towards a bright future and to finally be freed from the chains of his soul. He flew down the
scenario using a piece of the curtain as a cape, opening it in the air as if an angel had
landed on stage dressed as the devil, and there he landed next to Elena. He standed next to
her leaving Elena in a cold embracing shock by holding her hand and placing her next to
him. I smiled as I saw him slowly removing his dark self and showing his former self to the
one he loved and caught his heart.

I saw how from Elena´s face, a single tear dropped from her chin to her dress mixed with a
simple but charming smile, she glanced at her long-expected love to come and fulfill his
promise. “Amore mio, finalmente posso rivedere i tuoi bellissimi occhi” ( My love, I can finally
see your beautiful eyes once more), he said as he gently placed his palm on her chin and
got close to her lips.

At the moment their lips touched, the curtain fell covering the scene as a fog around the
heart of two long separated lovers finally reaching to each other once more. As they got
together once again, the doors opened from side to side as the place got surrounded. He
slowly got away from Elena and smirked towards the new crowd and looked at me as if he
knew something and wanted something from me. I knew what to do, so I ran to turn off the
lights of the theater for his escapade.

As the place went to darkness a single light stood beneath it all, it was Elena’s gaze around
her lover who standed clear as a star. He kissed her once more before suddenly
disappearing amidst the dark. His kind and whimsical laughter was all that surrounded the
interior of the place. The lights of the guns popping around the walls of the theater
functioned as lanterns illuminating a spectacle of his moves in a final but splendid runaway.

When the gunshots stopped one managed to bring the lights alive and make us presence his
silhouette made by the constant fire and his lone tie around an open window marking his
escape. In there lied Elena with a smile to finally know of her love, my friend and the shape
of justice made by him running in the dark streets and hiding in plain sight as a ghost, a man,
a boy from the streets, a common thief, a master of crime, a kind stranger, my shadow, her
shadow, as he was and will always be known forever as the thief, the one and only “ Ladro di
cuori”.