Original subtitles

Vincenzo Muccioli's fate is hanging by a cassette tape.

A cassette tape just like this one,

containing a conversation recorded in a car

between the founder of San Patrignano and Walter Delogu,

his former driver, who's now become his principal accuser.

I'd decided to leave San Patrignano,

because I knew that things weren't going well.

I knew so many things.

I'd told Tiziana that I wanted to find proof,

to draw information and reveal who Vincenzo really was.

I set up a tape recorder,

and I put it under his car seat.

He sat beside me in the car while I was driving.

It was within touching distance.

All I had to do was this.

When I started recording, I felt uneasy.

But I didn't have a choice.

My father understood that Muccioli wasn't the same person

that he'd relied on in the past.

So he decided to record him because he was afraid.

The situation was delicate,

because we had decided to leave.

At that point, I was scared

of Vincenzo's powerful friends.

How could I know how far he was willing to go?

At that moment, he became a family man

willing to do anything to protect his daughter and his wife.

Before leaving, I told him,

"If you treat me unfairly or hurt me, I've taken precautions."

I pressed play and played him the whole tape.

And he said, "You recorded me?"

And I said, "Of course. And do you know why?

Because I want to live my life

with my wife and my daughter peacefully.

But I'll never ever use this tape.

I'll bury it in a drawer.

But be aware, if anything happens to me,

I will use it."

So that's what I did.

Why? To save my own life.

It was Robertino Assirelli who told them about the tape.

He spoke with a journalist, and he said,

"There's someone who's been with him these past years,

and he knows everything because he was with him day and night."

And he gave my name.

A witness launches strong accusations against the founder of San Patrignano.

Robertino challenged the power structure.

Roberto Assirelli has testified in court that Walter Delogu,

his close friend, told him that after the Maranzano murder,

he'd secretly recorded a conversation between him and the commune leader.

The police came looking for me and arrested me.

They knew that I knew everything.

Walter Delogu has been arrested.

The tape is now in the hands of the public prosecutor.

A tape has emerged…

-What's on the tape? -I don't know.

Did he maybe misunderstand something you said?

I don't know. Once I listen to it,

I'll know, and I can give a logical explanation.

Otherwise-- it's just speculation.

Walter was Vincenzo Muccioli's driver for four years,

always in his white trench coat, with his Blues Brothers' shades and guns.

He was his bodyguard, his very faithful assistant.

So it really surprised me.

But I also admired him.

When they played the tape during the trial,

the silence was… embarrassing.

Because the other side of Vincenzo emerged.

Why did he ask me to kill Grizzardi?

Because Grizzardi was one of the witnesses to Maranzano's murder,

and he was dangerous to the commune.

Muccioli, did you recognize the tape?

I've never seen that tape.

We heard "strychnine, heroin."

Do you remember saying those things?

"We should get two grams of heroin, some strychnine.

Make it look like an overdose."

These are Vincenzo Muccioli's own words.

Delogu recorded that tape illegally.

What do I think of someone like that? Two things.

The first is, "This guy is biting the hand that feeds him."

But in reality,

he's the man who reveals the facts to the whole of Italy.

Delogu's tape became headline news,

because it was carefully conducted

and placed in a specific media and legal setting

as a top story, a high-profile public opinion piece

which tried to portray Muccioli as an absolute monster.

Muccioli, a symbol of repression…

"A heroin and strychnine overdose."

…the terrible words that sounded like a death sentence.

He spoke of shooting him or giving him an overdose…

…he ordered the murder.

Intrigue and blood at San Patrignano. A massacre in Muccioli's house.

That tape was a turning point,

and the press went crazy over it

with the living proof that Muccioli,

the presumed savior,

was actually ordering the death of certain people.

Should we be suspicious or trustful?

Questions arise once more about San Patrignano.

The media were completely against him.

He'd become an accomplice of murders or even a murderer himself.

A monster.

Claudio Sabelli Fioretti, editor of Cuore,

doesn't have a positive opinion on San Patrignano.

-Who is Muccioli? -He's undoubtedly crazy.

A dangerous madman.

That was San Patrignano's biggest crisis.

One minute they raise you to the stars,

the next, you're a criminal.

SAINT OR KILLER?

When the tape turned up, recorded by Walter Delogu,

we realized that this could be…

the final blow to Vincenzo Muccioli.

But it never happened.

Vincenzo Muccioli claimed to have been blackmailed by Walter Delogu.

Tense and nervous. "I'm not a killer," says Muccioli.

"In the car, Delogu was provoking me

and in order to see what he was up to, I played along."

Vincenzo Muccioli says that his words have been twisted.

He claims that he was half-asleep.

Muccioli claims he was half-asleep when he said those words.

He wasn't sleeping.

Muccioli realized he was being provoked,

and he wanted to know what was behind it.

What was the aim of this provocation?

To see…

how much was still present…

of the self-indulgent rebel,

the fake, petty, fascist thug inside him.

I saw Vincenzo

on all the TV channels: Italia 1, Rai 2, Rai 3, Rai 1…

bad-mouthing me all over Italy.

We received severance pay requests.

We were blackmailed, threatened,

by a guy who, after many years living there,

left with his wife and kid who he raised there.

We paid for school fees, clothes, a house,

water, electricity, and gas bills…

It was a devious ploy to say,

"He's an addict, a traitor, he's stupid."

People believed him, but it isn't like that.

I paid 150 million lire to prevent a worse outcome,

to protect the guys who were still there.

I've waited years to tell my version of the truth.

Do you know what it is?

I simply told him, "You said you'd give me money.

I have a wife and a daughter.

I know what it's like to leave the commune penniless.

It means having no work and living on the margins."

He said, "Here's the money.

You're right. I made a promise, and I wasn't keeping it. Here it is."

When he asked me for money to…

to stop, to…

He took out this tape and said, "I can get you," etc.

And I gave it to him.

To me, it seemed the lesser evil.

Vincenzo said,

"I gave him money to keep him quiet, and not harm the commune."

I didn't commit any crime, he just gave it to me.

He owed me that money for everything I'd done for him.

There was absolutely no blackmail.

Who is Delogu? What he did speaks for itself about who he is.

-A brief comment about the tape? -None. It's a flop.

Walter Delogu, Muccioli's former driver, is under investigation for extortion.

"It's blackmail," claimed Muccioli.

But the case could be dismissed.

Delogu's tape is a joke,

worthy of the person who made up this joke.

You have no idea how many times I heard my father talking about killing.

"We should grab her, put her in acid

and melt her, and then--"

I mean, ever since I was a kid.

It never bothered me. Why?

Because I knew very well that my father--

He joked and said overblown things.

He loved hyperbole.

He was that type of guy.

In the end, that tape, however terrible it made Muccioli look,

from a legal point of view, it was a little… weak.

Walter possibly came across as a manipulator.

The tape played in the Rimini courtroom doesn't prove anything.

The prosecutor, Franco Battaglino, has announced

that Delogu's tape won't be used as evidence in this trial.

I'm judging this incident

as one which took place at a given time and place

in specific personal and environmental circumstances, etc.

Muccioli got what he wanted,

which was clarifying what may have happened.

But, of course, it has no criminal relevance.

The trial is a serious matter.

So, now, let's go to trial.

Let's analyze the facts…

objectively, calmly, without any preconceptions…

After the infamous tape,

the Vincenzo Muccioli trial could hold more surprises.

Punishment can play a part in rehab.

The problem is the measure, the how.

In regard to the Maranzano case,

according to the investigators,

these violent methods weren't just occasional,

but structural.

Muccioli knew exactly how the butchery sector worked.

It was considered a punitive sector.

Our intention was to uphold the law.

Therefore, abusing, beating, and killing

are clearly not acceptable forms of punishment.

New, serious accusations against Vincenzo Muccioli.

Initially accused of aiding and abetting,

he's now accused of manslaughter.

I was convinced that Muccioli was most accountable for

having sent Maranzano to a punitive sector.

The judge, Vincenzo Andreucci, holds him responsible

for having set up a punitive sector,

and tolerating the physical and psychological violence committed there

and for placing at its head, Alfio Russo, an emotionally disturbed man

believed to be the perpetrator of the homicide.

The judiciary had to investigate Muccioli for manslaughter

because Muccioli was responsible

for everything that happened in San Patrignano.

Because if, as I've always claimed, a few slaps are sometimes necessary,

and then I make someone else do the slapping,

and say I don't want to know about it. That's probably what happened.

Because in prisons, in secluded places, in totalitarian institutions,

these things happen. There's someone who does the dirty work,

and those in power don't want to know about it.

The judicial concerns aren't over for Vincenzo Muccioli.

At the Rimini police station,

the parade of former guests making new accusations continues.

Walter Delogu, his former driver and author of the infamous recording,

was the first of many to give a voluntary statement.

I was just a bodyguard, a pathetic ex-junkie.

While he was this great saint protecting the world.

Strong accusations from Delogu, not made out of resentment, he says,

or hate towards Muccioli, but only for the sake of truth.

Now people have started to speak out about certain events…

that were never mentioned before.

When I saw Walter Delogu on TV saying,

"Any witnesses out there, come forward,"

I realized that--

by keeping quiet, I would be obeying a secret code of silence.

The first thing I did after I left was to go and see the judge,

and I testified…

about the Maranzano case and other things.

I had witnessed some murky situations within the commune.

When the Maranzano case exploded,

I was called in and questioned by the prosecutor,

and I told him what I knew.

Natalia Berla died after she jumped out of a window in 1989.

Her brother questions the circumstances of her death.

I know she was violently beaten up the night before,

so I have suspicions over the circumstances of my twin's death.

Aldo Toffoli, 41, former guest at San Patrignano,

may reveal several more punitive sectors operating at San Patrignano.

An unexpected statement from the public prosecutor, Battaglino,

"Muccioli must be tried in a higher court

for the serious crime of perpetrating abuse which caused death."

But the court has declared

that the Code doesn't allow for a change in charges at this stage.

"An abnormal decision," claimed the prosecutor.

"The right decision," stated Muccioli's defense.

The Rimini judiciary went door-to-door looking for former guests,

often leveraging their criminal records,

and coercing them to testify

that my father was a violent, abusive person.

It was a witch hunt.

They sought out former guests of San Patrignano

and tried to persuade them to make statements

supporting the theory that violence was the curative system in San Patrignano.

Do you think the judges are conspiring against you?

I'm not talking about the judges

but about all these guys coming forward, they need to be checked.

What they say needs to be verified.

I experienced those methods for 16 years,

and I used to agree with them.

I'd like to thank Vincenzo

for giving me my life back

and for teaching me so much.

Some people were locked up for as long as a year.

At the time, I was one of those locking people up. I was a guard.

I went after the runaways to bring them back.

I believe that everything I experienced in those years…

wasn't right.

Weaving was a punitive sector.

During tricky moments, these women were overseen by a man.

His name was Michelone.

He was very violent all the time.

If he was called to weaving,

it was only to beat someone up.

The testimonies of violence perpetrated within the commune have multiplied.

Today, the judge heard Laura's voluntary statement.

She testified to the violence of which she was victim and witness to

in maintenance, a punitive sector, according to several witnesses.

Punitive sectors exist.

I was a victim myself while I was there only because I dared to criticize them.

I was placed in the most authoritarian sector where the means were--

-Which one? -Maintenance.

In the maintenance sector, you couldn't just walk in.

It was supervised by these guys,

who were a sort of internal police force.

I was in maintenance when it was run by Francesco Capogreco.

He was evil.

Franchino Capogreco.

There are many stories of rape during his management of maintenance.

When I was in the restoration sector,

there was a girl who came from the maintenance sector,

that I'd seen a few times with a black eye.

One day, we were working together in the office,

and Vincenzo arrived,

and she asked him if they could talk urgently.

And she said, "Vincenzo, you need to help me because…

I'm being abused in the maintenance sector."

And he said, "I'm not sure I believe you."

He removed his ring and he put it on the table,

and said, "Try to put your finger in the ring.

See? Try again.

Try again."

Try to put the pencil through the ring.

No, I'll hold the pen, you hold the ring.

-Here. Please, put it on. -I can't if you keep moving the pen…

You see? With regards to violence,

if a woman moves, it's difficult to put the ring on.

Maintenance was a sector located in the only house

with a fence of three to four meters around it.

It's not true that there are fences at San Patrignano.

There have never been any.

Fabio, strangely, this fence…

topped with barbed wire

looks like one of those fences found in concentration camps.

There are other fences like this in San Patrignano.

But it doesn't mean it's a punitive sector as the newspapers are claiming.

Maintenance is very important to us,

because it's the place that welcomes the new arrivals.

The way I was speaking started to show some awkwardness.

I wanted to believe in what I was saying,

but you can hear that...

I wanted to say something different.

That was the beginning of my crisis regarding my role.

The media were pressing us

to give answers to some very serious issues.

I knew that at San Patrignano there were sectors…

which were tougher.

Maintenance and the butchery.

I didn't know, and I couldn't imagine that…

inside there, beatings were like…

well, almost a daily occurrence.

There is no such thing as a punitive sector.

I've never punished anyone here. I don't need to.

Vincenzo Muccioli and his family

claimed that punitive sectors didn't exist.

-Is there violence at San Patrignano? -Absolutely not.

There's as much as in your house when your kids fight, if you have any,

as much as in army barracks and everywhere else.

Violence is wherever humans are.

I was the sole doctor at San Patrignano for quite a few years.

And I think that if the working method was violence,

I would have treated many people with injuries.

And I can assure you that this wasn't the case.

I love Antonio Boschini very much because I think he's a good man.

But I remember someone, and I won't mention names,

whose head was smashed by Mandingo.

He smashed it against a corner of the bunk beds.

I will never forget that scene.

He was stitched up in our hospital

either by Antonio Boschini

or by another doctor who was on shift that day.

But how can you tell me,

someone who was there for three and a half years,

that there were no beatings, there was no violence, no fear?

I challenge anyone

to tell me

if ever, inside here,

there have been punitive squads

and abusers.

Where are they?

Nowhere!

Where are they?

With the Roberto Maranzano homicide,

we tried to hide behind the theory of the "loose cannon."

Wherever there are people, there can be a loose cannon!

That's human nature!

As if to say…

"Let's confine this serious event to one singular, unforeseen instance."

But I knew it wasn't like that. I could feel it wasn't true.

Something had gone wrong in the evolution of San Patrignano.

It had something to do with Vincenzo's personality.

He was an extraordinary man, but he was also a megalomaniac.

Fabio Cantelli, how do you explain the allegations against Muccioli?

Superficiality, cynicism, people's morbid need…

to see a man praised to the stars one day

and fall to the ground the next.

The gap progressively widened between…

the idea I had of San Patrignano according to my personal experience,

and the image I had to promote

as head of the press office.

I had a crisis.

On the one hand, I had feelings for Vincenzo,

and on the other hand…

I couldn't…

I couldn't just…

lie.

I couldn't be a megaphone for the propaganda.

Fabio, how long have you been working closely with Muccioli?

It's been about three years.

I felt like the showcase "former junkie,"

because I knew how to speak and I had a good guy's face.

They'd say, "How is it possible that he was a junkie?

They perform miracles in there!"

This is a terrible moment for us, and we don't know when it'll end.

I hope it'll lead to some changes.

At the worst moment for San Patrignano,

while everything was blowing up, Letizia Moratti was there.

Letizia Brichetto Moratti is the new head of RAI.

Letizia Moratti, the elegant, reserved, Milanese businesswoman,

was unanimously nominated as CEO by the board of directors.

In Italy, usually, a change of political majority

is followed by a change of management at the state TV, RAI.

Berlusconi put together his government.

Do you want to continue with a government

which is a permanent hostage to extreme left-wing Communists?

The CEO of RAI and I

have been friends for over 20 years…

Muccioli had paid a high toll

because the media had been attacking him.

So having someone he trusted at RAI,

who knew San Patrignano well,

was really important to him.

Letizia is a sensible and intelligent woman,

and she knew that if she used her power,

she would have been accused of conflict of interest.

But I can honestly say

that she got favors that she didn't even need to ask for.

I saw a large number of journalists from RAI in those years,

visiting San Patrignano

with the sole intention of reporting

only praise and appreciation for the marvelous commune

because they knew the CEO had an old connection

with San Patrignano.

While Muccioli's fourth hearing for this trial is approaching,

here at San Patrignano, life goes on as usual.

What you perceive when talking to the guys is that the trial is just a digression.

Is the trial light-years away from your world?

Yes. The trial is outside, out there.

In here, we deal with life and death every day.

Facts are one thing, rumors are another.

The facts are clear.

We've taken in about 22,000 youths.

Guys that were given everything

to get their life back on track

so they could reenter society as free men.

My father hitting, plotting, killing and burning people,

or engaging in occult practices,

those were unpleasant accusations

that were never supported by any evidence, ever.

I want inspections,

I want wide-ranging inquiries into San Patrignano

in order to finally eliminate all the gossip

which distorts the facts…

In 1994, with the sociology department of the University of Bologna,

following the Maranzano trial,

an extensive research project was carried out

on the therapeutic effectiveness of San Patrignano.

Letizia and Gian Marco Moratti funded those studies to prove,

in light of the Maranzano trial,

that the judges would be judging a rehab center

that had extraordinary results.

Vincenzo Muccioli, we've talked a lot about San Patrignano.

This research examines a group of young people

who were at San Patrignano, 711 of them.

We carried out two studies.

The recovery from drugs,

so drug-free after so many years, was about 70%.

We found employment for 9,000 youths, and we have over 2,000 here now.

And I turned these guys into men.

Thousands of guys have been healed psychologically, physically.

They work and have reentered society.

It needs to be said that this 70% didn't take into account

those people who entered the commune

but decided to leave after one or two months.

From the IT sector,

I noticed that certain data never corresponded

with the data that Muccioli revealed to the public.

The data was multiplied.

He didn't count individuals, but how many times they entered.

So if I came and went four times, it'd be counted as four entries.

There are 2,800 people here now, but thousands…

I felt really unsettled and disappointed when I found out

that the data was provided by the commune itself.

I asked myself, "What scientific value can this have?"

It was a propaganda tool.

I didn't agree anymore with the defense strategy of the commune.

I believed that if we'd had the humility to admit

that…

some mistakes were made,

mainly due to the rapid expansion

and growth of the commune,

I think the public would have understood

because it's not as if we were housing…

college students.

But this siege mentality took over.

"Anyone who criticizes us is a dangerous enemy."

"You're either with us or against us."

That's a suicidal attitude.

Today, the long-awaited court ruling in Rimini

on the homicide of Roberto Maranzano.

We're now at the closing arguments in this trial.

Alfio Russo was found guilty.

He was sentenced to eight years in jail.

The jail sentence was converted to house arrest

after being assessed as having impaired mental capacity.

The court found intent to harm but not to kill Roberto Maranzano.

I don't think justice was served.

Even Alfio Russo, who received the highest sentence,

never spent a single day in jail.

Personally, I still think that in reality

the chains killed Maranzano.

The mentality and attitude that laid behind the chains,

this use of coercive and violent methods,

which was the subject of the first trial,

was also what led to Maranzano's death.

I think Muccioli is innocent.

He deserves a monument in Piazza Cavour.

For one person that died, he saved thousands.

WE SUPPORT MUCCIOLI AND THE COMMUNE - TREVISO

Mr. Judge, I beg you!

Vincenzo, 7,000 people are supporting San Patrignano.

This proves San Patrignano means solidarity, not violence.

Today they proved it to me.

Aside from the upcoming verdict, this gives meaning to my life.

This makes me fearless.

For Vincenzo,

to face the crux of the matter would have meant questioning his work.

And he was his work.

That's why he tried to defend it tooth and nail.

Even in the face of the evidence. Even when it would have been…

more useful and intelligent to admit he'd made a mistake.

Don't touch Muccioli.

He wanted to protect his 3,000 children!

Muccioli is innocent!

The loud and visible protests from the community,

supported by the media and by politicians,

were aimed at challenging our attempt

to establish if Muccioli had any responsibilities.

As per Article 530 of the criminal code,

Vincenzo Muccioli is acquitted…

of manslaughter for not having committed this crime.

Vincenzo Muccioli isn't guilty of the death of Roberto Maranzano.

The court rules Vincenzo Muccioli guilty of aiding and abetting.

The founder of San Patrignano has been acquitted

of the most serious charge, manslaughter.

But he's been sentenced to eight months for aiding and abetting

alongside those responsible for the Maranzano homicide.

Muccioli is deemed virtually innocent, acquitted of manslaughter,

and charged with an eight-month suspended sentence

for aiding and abetting.

The judges didn't find Muccioli responsible for the homicide.

He knew about it, but he kept silent not to betray the trust of the addicts.

Vincenzo Muccioli aided and abetted…

in concealing my father's body.

But in my opinion,

he aided and abetted what happened to my father

because he was the one who wanted the punitive sectors.

To me, he's guilty.

He's guilty.

The prosecution accepts this partial defeat

despite having asked for three years.

Yes, he should've been prosecuted further for abuse and mistreatment.

Will there be additional proceedings?

I'm working on it. I work all the time. I'm working.

Clearly, we won't stop and accept an acquittal we disagree with.

The verdict is simply scandalous.

It proves that Mr. Muccioli has very powerful friends,

very influential politicians.

-You're making serious allegations. -Yes.

There are still murky elements.

My father has never been convicted.

Despite 15 years of trials.

Okay? Never.

That is a fact. Period.

I'm obviously very pleased with this acquittal.

I've thanked all the guys

for contributing towards keeping the commune calm

in spite of all the venom hurled down on us.

The San Patrignano method…

is by no means based on violence.

Despite the acquittal,

after the Maranzano facts were twisted and exploited,

he knew that he had…

he had no way out.

I think Vincenzo was disheartened and depressed,

and he kept brooding on the events

and the fact that many people…

he had trusted and that were close to him suddenly accused him…

of many things.

The betrayal of these people was something so wretched,

so debasing, so sad,

that after happening once, twice, ten, a hundred times,

it inevitably took a psychological toll

and caused deep sadness

to that poor man, my father.

The press is quoting you saying,

"The commune can go on without me…"

No.

-…as if you were leaving it. -No.

"The commune can go on without me"

doesn't mean that I'm leaving it.

I will be here till my very last shred of energy.

Vincenzo told me,

"They're trying to demolish me but save San Patrignano

as if we were two separate things.

And maybe it'll be best for San Patrignano if I'm no longer around."

From the beginning of '95 up until September,

I saw my father as I'd never seen him before.

Ever.

I noticed…

he wasn't involved anymore in the daily activities of the commune.

He was often at home,

sitting in his red armchair,

staring into space,

in silence.

It was very painful to watch.

The last time I saw Vincenzo Muccioli

was in his office.

He'd make fun of me because I had become a vegetarian.

He said, "I'll cook lunch for you today."

And he went to cook some vegetables.

You're sick. You can tell.

Even now. God, look at him.

Look.

What is that? A stills camera?

It's a video camera. A small movie camera.

After that, he wasn't feeling too well and he went to bed.

I stayed and chatted with Gian Marco and I think Andrea too.

Then I said, "I have to go."

And they said, "We'll wake Vincenzo." I said, "Don't, just say goodbye for me."

I was halfway home when I got a call. It was Vincenzo.

He was upset. He said, "We didn't say goodbye."

"Vincenzo, we didn't say goodbye because you were sleeping."

"You should have woken me up!"

He knew it was the last time we'd see each other. I didn't.

Those were two very difficult years

that left him frustrated and exhausted.

And we, his entourage,

from the spring of 1995, didn't see him anymore.

And we were given vague explanations.

"He's away on business," etc.

It was also a little awkward because he was in high demand

by journalists, TV, lawyers…

And we didn't know how to justify his absence anymore.

FEAR FOR MUCCIOLI'S HEALTH HE'S UNWELL AND LOST WEIGHT

One day in the summer of 1995,

an article in the Corriere della Sera

reported that Vincenzo Muccioli was very ill.

We were stunned.

Why were we not told something so important?

We had to read it in the papers.

As a doctor,

when Vincenzo was feeling unwell I would see him every day.

He was undoubtedly depressed,

and kept mulling over the criticism the guys had given him.

Vincenzo Muccioli is very ill. He's lost 20 kilos,

and he's in his house in San Patrignano.

He hasn't been to his commune in over a month.

How's your father?

My father's not very well.

He's drained and has no energy.

What does your husband really have?

He has a broken soul.

He has been ruthlessly attacked. He's mortally wounded.

Who attacked him?

The court initiated three trials against him

and manipulated the weaker guys

without thinking of the consequences that those guys will have to face.

Vincenzo Muccioli's condition seems to be hopeless.

Today, his condition has worsened.

My father, a proud warrior,

was fighting to prove his innocence

but also the goodness of San Patrignano.

At a certain point he said,

"I need to die so that-- San Patrignano lives on."

Vincenzo Muccioli spent the night with his family and closest friends.

Muccioli has been in a coma since Friday.

He has virtually no brain activity.

One day in September,

all the veterans of the commune were taken to the villa

where Vincenzo lived with his family.

Gian Marco and Letizia Moratti were there too.

We were taken to Vincenzo's bedside,

and he was… unconscious. He was dying.

And we were told that…

it was only right for us to see him one last time.

I would have preferred to see him…

when he could still talk, and tell him… how much I owed him.

But I wasn't allowed, nor was anyone else. It wasn't just me.

That really hurt me.

And in those 15 or 20 days,

I decided I had to leave.

"Once Vincenzo dies, this experience is over for me."

I left...

two days before his death.

I'm not scared of death.

I just want to finish, while I'm alive,

everything that I've started,

which is to give these guys hope for their future.

Because here they will always have a roof over their heads

in order to continue what I started for them.

Vincenzo Muccioli's long struggle is over.

The founder of San Patrignano died two hours ago in his commune,

the largest in Europe for drug addicts.

He wanted to die among his guys.

No reporters nor journalists can film his body.

Only Muccioli's hands are visible, pale and frail.

Muccioli was like family to me.

I'm extremely upset.

We didn't know we had a son before.

But now we have a son.

-We got him back. -We have our son back, thanks to Vincenzo.

Vincenzo's someone who allowed

my parents to die in peace.

Vincenzo gave my family meaning again.

News of Muccioli's death was delivered to the Italian president

by a call from the CEO of RAI, Letizia Moratti.

In a message, the president of the Republic said,

"He was a person who'd suffered a great deal."

The Pope sent his condolences to the commune of San Patrignano

where Muccioli's funeral was held today.

I've never known exactly the cause of his death,

and neither did my poor mother,

because nobody ever told us.

Everyone knows what he died of.

But…

But he's dead, so it doesn't…

He's dead.

I don't think you should even ask me that.

At 61, Muccioli died young

killed by an illness known only to his doctors.

Did Vincenzo Muccioli die of AIDS?

I understand you're asking this because it's in the papers.

HEPATITIS C THE CAUSE OF THE ILLNESS, BUT AIDS IS ALSO RUMORED

Why is he being attacked even in death?

I don't know why they chose to hide

the illness, AIDS,

that Vincenzo was suffering from.

He'd told us that he might've been exposed to it

when he cared for the first guy who died of AIDS,

someone he was very close to,

Renzo.

He told us he'd contracted the virus through an infected needle,

which seems a little…

odd to me. But it can't be ruled out.

It can happen.

The final medical report said brain damage,

death by natural causes.

Despite this, there are…

rumors, mysteries…

And are you saying that all these are unfounded?

Of course.

I was under the impression that,

aside from the more or less substantiated rumors

about Vincenzo's homosexuality,

the idea of such a disease, somehow…

could compromise his image.

But for me, it could have made him… even more extraordinary.

For me, Vincenzo had…

confronted life's limits.

Vincenzo clearly came from a different mindset.

The mindset of the Romagna macho man,

the womanizer, the great dancer.

So I'm certain

that Vincenzo never admitted, not even to himself,

his homosexuality,

because for him, it would've been very difficult.

They tried really hard

to damage Vincenzo's credibility.

They failed.

So what's left?

The only thing left to do is to say that he's gay.

That's the truth.

The accusation of homosexuality is totally ridiculous.

It only circles back to the sheer magnitude of criticism,

vitriol, accusations…

which were gathered from the lowlifes all around Italy.

In the beginning, after I left the commune,

I really struggled

because I missed his presence.

I'd think, "Oh God…

It's only me now. I'm alone. I can't…

turn to him for advice anymore."

Then I wanted to clear the slate of the good and the bad I'd received.

I just wanted to start over.

With my family beside me, I threw myself into work.

I've been a paramedic for ten years.

I never imagined I'd be working for the state.

It's incredibly rewarding.

Because you can build a life,

get a mortgage, support your family,

and pay your bills.

Doing things that are normal for a normal person.

But for someone who wasn't in the normal world,

getting to do this is incredible.

And your relationship with society totally changes.

I'm happy to pay taxes.

My biggest satisfaction has been

watching my daughter grow up so well.

Andrea Delogu.

When I see Andrea on TV, it's an enormous joy.

She's the love of my life.

I'm a TV and radio presenter.

I'm an actress and…

I've written a couple of books.

I think Vincenzo will always be in my thoughts.

Even though I'm free of him,

he got deep inside me,

and he'll never leave me.

When my father died,

I was overwhelmed by some awful things.

As a 28-year-old guy,

I had no intention of becoming my father's successor.

The commune decided that I should.

Among those trying to figure out if I was up to the task,

"Will he be suitable or not?"

were the investors.

And what did they do?

At some point, they decided that I was up to the task,

that I absolutely had to do the job.

Vincenzo Muccioli always said,

"On the one hand, I welcome them, but on the other, I tell the world,

'Guys, you can help them. It's your duty.

Take care of these guys.

They're not trash.'

I welcomed them as if they were my own children.

Look at their humanity. They have a lot to offer."

San Patrignano is a place that needs to be protected.

You can't just talk about it, you have to experience it.

After I left, though it seemed impossible,

I relapsed.

I should have been locked up until 2020.

Instead, here I am, honoring Vincenzo, God,

animals, dogs, the guys I train in the gym.

I've been working for 27 years as an addiction therapist.

What I witnessed at San Patrignano, for me, is…

the textbook of what should not be done

in most of the cases.

I don't believe a drug addict will quit for fear of being beaten up.

We say, "We want to have a dialogue with you."

For years Maranzano, Natalia's brother,

and many others have been asking to be heard.

They even ask to go to San Patrignano

to have an open conversation all together.

But their requests are not heard.

If I met Muccioli today,

the first thing I'd say is,

"How dare you?"

To Natalia, I'd say…

"I should have been more present for you."

All the people who accused Muccioli are murderers.

We're talking about Vincenzo Muccioli.

He'll go down in history for what he did.

And what he did is huge.

That's why

he should be made a saint.

I couldn't stand people saying everything was good.

I couldn't stand people saying everything was bad either.

Vincenzo Muccioli

tried to be a father figure to me,

but I prefer to say, "He was a friend."

San Patrignano still has a great reputation.

The fact that the dark side of San Patrignano is never shown,

is disheartening.

It's like when there's something bad,

and you turn away because…

because it upsets you, and you only want to see the nice part

and not think about the bad part.

This jewel, San Patrignano, seen as wondrous,

always praised…

is a great advert for Italy.

The relationship between San Patrignano and the truth broke down

when SanPa decided that its public image

was more important than its inner truth.

Because its public image was striking and more impressive

and made it more popular.

But that's a path to perdition where you lose your soul.

You lose your inner truth, which is an elusive truth,

multifaceted and often contradictory.

But that's life. If you shut the door to that truth,

you stop evolving.

This is not a rhetorical statement,

Vincenzo's always with me.

Who I am today is also thanks to Vincenzo

and also thanks to San Patrignano.

Though I have to acknowledge…

despite Vincenzo and despite San Patrignano.