Lasco, the villain of Parlasco

Bullying, abuse and injustice are the protagonists of this story. The nobles and their ruthless mercenaries on one side, the defenseless population on the other. In short, it is a dark and oppressive period, made up of violated right and laws , while the inefficient Spanish administration has a terrible reputation.

No, we will not tell the story of "The Betrothed", although this is certainly the same historical context as that of Manzoni's novel. In fact, we are right in the middle of the seventeenth century in Lombardy, some years after the troubled - but with a happy ending - story of Renzo and Lucia. Geographically we are in Valsassina, an area on the eastern side of Lake Como, between high mountains and incredible lake views. Here there is a tiny and pretty village called Parlasco. Known as the "painted" village, Parlasco attracts its visitors thanks to some recently painted frescoes that recall a dark story.

The protagonist of the events of Parlasco is Sigifredo Falsandri, a noble and charitable gentleman who lived with his family and his servants in the Rocca di Marmoro, a fortification built to protect the valley. Sigifredo was a man loved by the population for his good soul. In fact he offered his help to those who needed it the most.

But Rocca di Marmoro hid a dark secret. To tell you about it, we will be helped by the words of a book that recalls the sad events happened in this village: "... Down there - and he pointed to the Castle of Marmoro - there is a villainy to make the hair stand on end even the devil." This noble residence was not only the home of the good Sigifredo, but also the refuge of a much more disturbing and miserable character, a bandit who during the night terrorized the poor people of the country with his "Bravi", committing a lot of crimes and robberies. In short, Lasco lived in Parlasco: this was the nickname of this fearsome bandit from Valsassina. To get a clearer idea of ​​his ravenous personality, let's see how he was described by the direct words of the inhabitants of Parlasco: "He is a worse scourge than the Landsknechts and the plague they brought; the thief who died on the cross to the left of our Lord, look what I have to say, he was a saint compared to Lasco; he attacks people with the same ease with which I doff my hat in front of the Madonna; he steals livestock, strips churches, violates monasteries, sends letters to get money and it must be rattled off sooner than to the king's collector [...] it doesn't take twenty-four hours that you find a dagger stuck in your chest, when he doesn't send you to that bad end that one day or the other will be his turn, hanging from a tree".

Two antithetical personalities, Sigifredo on one side and Lasco on the other. Two profoundly different men, the first with a pure and good soul, the second with a bloody and guilty soul. But, incredibly, this was what the inhabitants of Parlasco discovered after a long time of terror and oppression:

"Finally the mystery in the home of Lasco has been discovered: the wolf has unmasked himself under the lamb's wool; the Good Lord has left his fur, like a snake, and slipped out of it Lasco. [.. .] Well, now I will tell you who that man called the Count of Marmoro is... he is Lasco the bandit of Valsassina".​

Sigifredo and Lasco were exactly the same person: Good Lord by day and fearsome bandit with no mercy by night. When, with great astonishment, the news spread through the village, everyone shouted at the death of Lasco, who was taken from his home and carried to the gallows. In fact, "Parlasco" would mean "Per Lasco", referring to the gallows that was intended to punish the fearsome bandit in an exemplary way.

After having recounted the dark past of this village, it is necessary to add one last but fundamental detail to our story: Lasco, the villain of Parlasco never existed! The figure of the bandit stems from the imagination of Antonio Balbiani, a 19th century writer from Bellano, who achieved popularity in the Lario area thanks to the publication of the novel entitled "Lasco, il bandito della Valsassina" in 1871. After reading this story some of you, perhaps fascinated by the somewhat dark aspect of the narration, will almost be disappointed by this revelation; while others will be relieved thinking of the poor and the weakest who therefore never had to deal with this diabolical figure. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Although a bandit with this name never existed, Balbiani's events tell true circumstances of the daily life in the seventeenth century, when the bandits and their "Bravi" raged in the towns and valleys, establishing a menacing climate of terror among the poor country people.