Italy's ``gentleman bandit,'' an affable anarchist who courteously robbed banks in the 1960s and 1970s, has died in prison of a heart attack on December 25 at the age of 62. 
Horst Fantazzini conducted nonviolent stickups across northern Italy, often using a toy gun according to some stories, and won his nickname after sending roses to a bank teller who had fainted during a robbery.

His not-so-gentlemanly 1973 jailbreak attempt was depicted in a 1999 Italian movie called ``Outlaw'' by Enzo Monteleone. Fantazzini wounded three guards and took two more hostages during the standoff.

He died Tuesday in prison in Dozza, a suburb outside of the northern city of Bologna, after more than three decades in and out of jail and various escape attempts, a prison official said.

He was enjoying ``semi-liberty,'' an alternative sentence which allows model prisoners to spend part of their time outside of jail, until last week when he was re-arrested while trying to rob a Bologna bank and put back in prison full-time.

The ``gentleman bandit'' was born in Germany to an anarchist father and became a prominent figure in the Italian anarchist movement himself as well as a supporter of the ``Red Brigade'' extremist group that murdered former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

12月25日，意大利著名的"绅士大盗"霍斯特·凡塔齐尼因心脏病突发在狱中去世，终年62岁。这位看上去和蔼可亲的"绅士大盗"是一位无政府主义者，曾于二十世纪六、七十年代以一种非常特殊的绅士方式多次抢劫银行。 
凡塔齐尼一生用非暴力的方式"打劫"了意大利北部的大小银行，据一些报道称，他行动时经常使用一支玩具手枪。在一次打劫行动中，一名女出纳员因惊吓过度昏了过去，事后这位"绅士"竟然为这位小姐送去了玫瑰以表慰问，从此凡塔齐尼便得了"绅士大盗"这个雅号。

但是凡塔齐尼1973年的那次越狱行动可就不那么绅士了。在那次越狱行动中，凡塔齐尼打伤了3名看守，在与警方的僵持过程中还挟持了2名人质。1999年，意大利导演恩佐·孟泰莱恩内将凡塔齐尼的这次越狱行动改编为电影，取名《亡命之徒》（"Outlaw"）。

12月25日，当人们欢庆圣诞节的时候，凡塔齐尼在意大利北部城市博洛尼亚市郊的多扎监狱中因心脏病突发去世。一名监狱官员说，30多年来这位"绅士大盗"一直从监狱里"进进出出"，并尝试过多种越狱方式，但是最终还是没能逃出囹圄。

凡塔齐尼对自己这么多年来的"半自由"式的服刑方式似乎非常满意，所谓"半自由"式就是监狱允许表现良好的犯人在监狱外服刑。但上星期，凡塔齐尼企图打劫博洛尼亚又一家银行的时候再次被捕，并被取消了"半自由"式服刑的资格。

"绅士大盗"凡塔齐尼出生在德国，其父亲也是一名无政府主义者。后来，凡塔齐尼成为了意大利无政府主义运动的风云人物，同时他还是专门从事绑架、谋杀和破坏等恐怖活动的意大利"红色旅"（ "Red Brigade"）极端组织的支持者，该组织曾于1978年刺杀了意大利总理阿尔多·莫洛。