Funeral service in Squinzano

On 9 September 2026, thousands of residents gathered at the Maria Regina church in Squinzano, in the province of Lecce, to attend the funeral of 45-year-old Lorena Isceri. The municipal administration declared a day of civic mourning, prompting local businesses to shut their doors while neighbours placed red ribbons, drapes, and roses along Via de Pietro and surrounding streets. The victim's parents, Franco and Antonietta, alongside her brother Danilo, followed the white coffin into the church where Lorena had originally been baptised. Lecce Prefect Domenico Manno, the president of the Province of Lecce, and approximately 40 Salento mayors wearing tricolor sashes attended the ceremony in official solidarity. Because the nave filled rapidly, hundreds of mourners followed the liturgy outside via a large screen erected on the churchyard.

The homicide investigation

The service followed the death of Isceri on 3 September 2026 in Tuscany, where she had lived while working in the veterinary pharmaceutical sector. Investigators determined that her former partner, Federico Vella, abducted her outside her home in Florence, assaulted her in a garage, and placed her inside the trunk of his Audi Q3. Vella then drove for about 20 minutes along the A1 motorway before throwing her from the Barberino del Mugello viaduct. Speaking to reporters outside the church, family lawyer Cosimo Miccoli addressed reports regarding Vella's medical history, noting that the suspect was receiving psychiatric treatment.

“The judicial framework is probably that one, but the public prosecutor will also be making all other evaluations on which we do not intend to interfere, and we will learn in the coming days the outcomes of these investigations, including those of a technical and investigative nature.”

Community tributes and homily

The white coffin arrived at the church at 10:00 for a private family prayer before the formal liturgy commenced at 17:00. During the homily, parish priest Don Vanni Bisconti addressed the congregation and the wider community about relationship violence and mutual respect.

“There is an abyssal difference between love and possession. If a person tells you no, that no must be respected.”

Parishioners and friends remembered Isceri through funeral notices and testimonials describing her work ethic and dedication to her friends and family. A large portrait depicting her smiling with angel wings stood before the altar. Squinzano Mayor Mario Pede addressed the gathering with a pledge that the town would not forget her, while her father Franco addressed mourners with an appeal that his daughter be the last victim.

Final farewell at Maria Regina

At the conclusion of the ceremony, Franco Isceri lifted a photograph of his daughter from atop the casket and held it up to the assembly, drawing sustained applause from the congregation. Outside the entrance, her mother Antonietta placed a white childhood teddy bear onto the casket before it was moved into the hearse. Friends and local residents released red and white balloons into the sky as the vehicle departed the churchyard. The ceremony concluded local memorial events organised across the municipality to demonstrate opposition to gender-based violence.