Leonarda Cianciulli: World Famous Bestie Biscuits and DIY Soaps

Buckle up, besties, because this week on Hot Mess Murder Club, we’re heading to Italy to meet the woman who took "protective boy mom" to a level that makes helicopter parents look like chill hippies. Meet Leonarda Cianciulli, the "Soap Maker of Correggio," a woman who decided that the best way to keep her son out of World War II was—naturally—human sacrifice. Because why pray for a draft deferment when you can just turn the lady next door into a lovely lavender-scented bar of soap? We’re breaking down the absolute fever dream of Leonarda’s life, starting with the mother of all curses (literally) and moving through 17 pregnancies that left her a bit... let’s say intense about her surviving offspring.In this hour-long dive into the most unhinged kitchen in 1930s Europe, we’re following the chronological chaos of how Leonarda hand-picked three "friends" who were looking for a fresh start and gave them a permanent one. We get into the gritty, factual, and deeply upsetting details of her "boutique of horrors," where she promised these women marriages and jobs but delivered a copper cauldron and a very sharp axe instead. If you thought Martha Stewart was the queen of DIY, wait until you hear how Leonarda processed Faustina, Francesca, and Virginia. We’re talking full-scale alchemical "upcycling"—draining blood, boiling fat, and adding just enough cologne to make sure the neighbors didn't notice the smell of homicide coming from the stovetop.But wait, it gets "crumbled" from there. We’re dissecting the part of the story that will make you never want to attend a neighborhood potluck again: the tea biscuits. Leonarda wasn’t just a soap maker; she was a baker with a very "organic" secret ingredient. She famously bragged that her final victim—a former soprano—made for the "creamiest" soap and the "crunchiest" cakes. She served these to her neighbors, her son, and probably herself while she plotted her next move. We’ll walk through the sheer audacity of her "defense" during the trial, where she basically acted as her own forensic consultant, correcting the prosecution on the most efficient way to dismantle a human body. It’s a story of superstition, soap-making, and the most literal "Hot Mess" in true crime history.