The group is estimated to have made millions through ransom payments in this period, which they reinvested in the cocaine trade, climbing up the ranks of organised crime. After disappearing into the crowd at the docks, he made his way to Milan, where he was arrested 20 days later.ĭuring those years, kidnappings were an actual revenue stream not only for small gangs, but for the mafia, in particular the ‘Ndrangheta from Calabria. In 1987, he famously fled through the porthole of a ferry stationed at the port of Genoa while he was being transferred to a prison in Sardinia.

He also tried to break out of prison over and over again, and managed to escape four times. The myth surrounding Vallanzasca was cemented by his penchant for provocative stunts while on the run, he once called into a famous Italian radio station to give an interview.

“They cut off his head, played ball with it in the courtyard, and then put it in the toilet,” police officer Achille Serra said in the documentary. In 1981, he instigated a revolt in the prison of Novara that ended with the death of multiple informants, including Massimo Loi, who was barely 20 at the time. In reality, Vallanzasca was capable of enormous brutality. His heists were huge successful, and he carefully cultivated the image of a romantic and handsome mobster and took every opportunity to show off his luxurious possessions. Vallanzasca's criminal status immediately became legendary.

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