“In 1997, Dad and the brothers hadn’t spoken for who knows how many years. A few days before Christmas, Bernardo kicks off what in time will turn into a real catchphrase. The subject is the family tomb in the Albiate cemetery. In the chapel there was water infiltration that made it necessary to intervene not only on the masonry structure, restoring it, but also on the coffins, replacing the coffins that were now rotten. What is striking in the way Bernardo relates the facts to Guido and Claudio is the meticulousness of the descriptions. He recounts every detail with precision, reporting on the state of decomposition of the various remains or the fact that in order to fit one of the coffins into the new, smaller coffin, the original zinc lining had to be bent. (…) He does not spare his brothers photographs of the coffins in such a bad state, including that of their father Peppino. (…) Given his relationship with his brothers, Bernardo is sure that Guido and Claudio will not only ignore him but will not even contribute to the restoration of the tomb, nor will they ever manage it. (…). One might assume, given that the file on the coffins would be sent not only to the brothers but to the entire family, that he had the intention of informing those who would take care of the tomb after him. But such an objective could have been pursued in a less macabre way, not with a missive sent urbi et orbi with photos of his grandparents’ poor remains.’ (pp. 127-128).
