The most popular escape: Casanova

La fuga più celebre: Casanova

The case of Casanova, an escape described in detail by the Venetian adventurer in the Memoirs of him, offers us a clear vision of the difference that money could make in prison and in living with the guardians.

After the conviction Casanova was sentenced in Piombi which are the worst cells but where he was granted more than one privilege. He did not have to share the space with others by being assigned a private cell; he was served two meals a day prepared especially for him from the tavern inside the courtyard of the the Doge’s Palace, the same one that worked for the staff and the guardians themselves; everything needed for personal hygiene and regularly cleaned clothes; books and candles to pass the time.

It is clear that this is a special treatment to be traced back to the fact that someone paid for all this: Casanova in the pages of his book non fa nomi, ma lascia intendere di poter fare affidamento ad una cerchia di amicizie influenti che cerca in tutti i modi di rendergli la prigionia piu` sopportabile e che lo aiutano al momento in cui decide di scappare ? una fuga che risale ad una sua decisione, presa nel momento in cui e` chiaro come sia possibile fare affidamento all`aiuto di certe figure potenti ma anche di come una simile opportunita` sarebbe potuta svanire ad attendere troppo.

And in fact he manages to escape thanks to a hole in the roof that others made for him, he walks on the roof of the Doge's Palace until he finds a window left open just for him, enters the building through several rooms, and upon reaching the exit he finds the door closed, as it is now night, which is the best time to escape. The next morning the guardian who comes to open the door meets Casanova but does not understand that he is facing a fugitive, since the fop was running away dressed as an elegant gentleman. After an exchange in which Casanova manages to get away with the naive guardian, he continues his escape to the mainland where he finds the horses ready and escapes from Venice.

It is therefore clear that his guardians vennero pagati molto sia nel periodo delle detenzione – vissuta in una condizione privilegiata ? ma anche per l`organizzazione della fuga, e il caso chiarisce perche` un simile lavoro fosse reputato buono e persino ricercato, visto come si potesse guadagnare facilmente nel caso in cui il prigioniero fosse ?quello giusto?.

The income was guaranteed and abundant to the point of allowing the guardians to appoint substitutes who worked on a percentage basis, although from a certain stage onwards, the law tried to intervene in order to prohibit such a practice.