Many years ago, when Thomas Harris was researching the Monster of Florence case for his novel Hannibal, and attending Pacciani’s trial, he met Count Capponi and was invited to the palazzo. Much later Harris called the count and said he would like to make Hannibal Lecter curator of the Capponi archive—would that be all right? “We had a family meeting,” the count said. “I told him that we agreed, on one condition—that the family would not be the main course.”
