Sonia Bergamasco, I 'mother of Italy' and the Unknown Soldier

 "I approached Maria Bergamas with modesty, never thought of immersing myself in her heart. I did it through the sense of motherhood. I myself confess, I did not know the story of the unknown soldier, we got used to him from an early age without pigs. questions, this film allows you to show a piece of the country's history ". Sonia Bergamasco is Maria Bergamas in "The choice of Mary" the docu-film directed by Francesco Miccichè, produced by Anele in collaboration with Rai Cinema, Aquileia Foundation and Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, broadcast on 4 November on Rai1, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the burial of the Unknown Soldier. At his side Alessio Vassallo in that of Lieutenant Augusto Tognasso, and Cesare Bocci in those of Minister Luigi Gasparotto.A curiosity - but it is only a coincidence the director wants to specify - all three actors were part of Camilleri's world: Bergamasco in the role of Livia, the eternal girlfriend of Inspector Montalbano and Bocci in that of deputy Mimì Augello; Vassallo, on the other hand, played Augello in the Young Montalbano version with Michele Riondino as commissioners, but he was also the protagonist of the TV film on Rai1 The telephone concession (based on a historical novel by Camilleri). Eleven coffins, eleven bodies of unidentified soldiers who fell into the trenches during the Great War. A group of mothers are waiting to be heard by the commission that will decide which one will choose the Unknown Soldier. Among them Maria a peasant from Gradisca di Isonzo, who lost her only son, Antonio, in battle.It will be she who decides on 28 October 1921, during a ceremony in the Basilica of Aquileia, which of those eleven unnamed bodies will be welcomed in Rome at the Altare della Patria in Piazza Venezia. Initially her choice wanted to fall on the one that would remind her of her dear Antonio. Then he thought better of it and opted for the tenth body which instead had no connection whatsoever with his son. During the historic train journey that transported the body from Aquileia to Rome - a journey of 120 stops that lasted 4 days - Bergamas and Lieutenant Tognasso witnessed a unique spectacle: in all the stages, whole crowds of people bowed, prayed and greeted . The idea on which Anele, Rai Cinema, and the whole of Rai have focused, and the screenwriters have bet and worked on, initially came to Cesare Bocci: "during a dinner where a friend told the story of his grandfather who made this trip from Aquileia to Rome. We felt the emotions of the place where we shot strongly. So I was curious about an in-depth study. Sonia managed to give back the emotions of all the women. The essentiality of a woman of the people who did not even want to be chosen for this role. Having shifted the point of view on that of a mother was important. "Alessio Vassallo:" The thing that strikes me is that we are often crossed by stories without knowing it, like this one of the Unknown Soldier. Everyone knows it, but no one knows the story behind it. The interpretation of Lieutenant Tognasso, medal for valor, limping, is sent to the same places to rework the mourning and start over.One thing that many have experienced in this post-pandemic period. Great respect also for the 'uniform', which protects us on every occasion ". Rai1 director Stefano Coletta underlines:" this is doing public service, bringing back pieces of memory to the present. The choice of Mary is a powerful story that will reach all of us, inviting very strong existential themes. Maria chooses rationality with respect to pain for our country ". Paolo Del Brocco, CEO of Rai Cinema:" A product that stands the test of time is brought to the audience of Rai 1. The innovative idea is a mother's point of view, removing the weight of time from language and images, which leads to moods. "Bergamasco finally underlined that he had worked a lot on language.The docu-film was shot right in Aquileia, in the trench of Monte San Michele and in the hamlet of San Martino del Carso, which owes its fame to the fact that it was the scene of numerous battles.