The mystery of Denis Bergamini, thirty -five years to affirm a truth

A road that runs parallel to the sea, in Calabria. A firm truck, a young footballer on the ground. Thus opens the case of Denis Bergamini, midfielder of Cosenza Calcio, found lifeless on highway 106 on November 18, 1989. He was 27 years old. For over thirty years, its end has remained surrounded by questions, doubts, sidetracks and discordant versions.

Now that story re -emerges in all its complexity The shadow cone – The story of Denis Bergamini, a podcast Original Sky Italia and Sky Tg24, conceived and narrated by Pablo Trincia. A series in seven episodes (written by a foggan and Debora Campanella, with sound design and music by Michele Boreggi) who aims to dig between truths and lies, reconstructing step by step not only the last hours of Denis, but also the long years of battles, revelations and judicial acts that have led to a recent, sensational verdict. The first two episodes are available from today On all the main podcast platforms, with one episode a day.

Who was Denis Bergamini

Born in Ferrara on 18 September 1962Denis Bergamini had taken his first steps in Spal, but it was in Cosenza who conquered hearts. Arrived in 1985, it soon became one of the team’s technical and emotional leaders. Elegant, intelligent midfielder, estimated even off the pitch.

The version of suicide and long silence

According to the first reconstruction, Denis, after a heated confrontation with his ex -girlfriend Isabella Internò, He would voluntarily launch under a race truck. Raffaele Pisano, the driver of the vehicle, confirmed this dynamic: the footballer would have suddenly thrown herself, without leaving him time to react.

But That version, although supported by testimonies and minutes, never fully convinced. He did not convince the Bergamini family, neither friends nor the fans. He did not convince because Denis, in everyday life, was a sunny boy, projected towards the future, passionate about life and football, loved by an entire city and, above all, without signs of depression. There was also talk of a possible call in Serie A, an imminent leap in his career.

The reopening of the case and the new elements

Starting from 2011, on the impulse of the family and with the support of public opinion, the case was reopened. The new forensic appraisals, conducted in 2017, when the body of the young footballer was exhumed, were decisive: Denis did not die from the truck, but He was suffocated and then placed on the asphalt To simulate suicide. A hypothesis that radically changed the course of the investigations and led, in 2019, to the enrollment of Isabella interned in the register of suspects on charges of premeditated murder.

Internò has always defended the suicide version: «It was a moment. Denis was upsetI saw that he threw himself under the truck, “he said in the courtroom. But the Court of Assizes of Cosenza did not believe in his words. After three years of trial, and 35 years after death, the verdict has arrived: Isabella Internò was declared guiltyprincipal of a murder committed in competition with other unidentified subjects, sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment and the perpetual interdiction from public offices.

Isabella Internò

Francesco Arena / IPA-Agecy.net

“Now my brother can finally fly,” Donna said Bergamini, Denis’s sister, immediately after reading the verdict. “I dedicate this sentence to the fans of Cosenza Calcio, to the city, to my father who is no longer there, to my mother and my children who have always hoped for justice”. And again: «I am not interested in the sentence, now the principle has been sanctioned: Denis has been killed».

According to the reconstruction contained in the sentence, Denis left the retirement of Cosenza for A clarifying meeting with Isabella, with whom he had long closed any sentimental bond. He was convinced that that meeting could end tensions and misunderstandings. Instead, according to the judges, It was an appointment-trappola. Isabella Internò had already planned everything.