Bertolli tells Volley Talk ‘This is how Italy reached the top’

by Alessandro Trippi

The last national date of the so-called “Volley Talk” in light of the European Championships will be at the end of summer. Which city if not Modena hosts it, hosted by Massimo Salamasso, a formula that has toured Italy to talk about the history of the national team and who will stop by the Ducal Gardens on Monday 24 July, at 9pm. Guests of honor Marco Meoni, Fabio Volo, but also Franco Bertoli and Lorenzo Bernardi, two heroes who left their mark.

Bertolli, would you identify yourself as a pioneer of the “phenomenological generation”?

“In 1983 I was elected master of Europe and that European Championship was then the start of the Olympic Games the following year. We finished third in a tie, not even getting on the podium for a few points at a time when Italian volleyball was appearing on the big stages for the first time: the Champions Cup in Turin in 1980 and then, again, with Brandi, the bronze medal at the Los Angeles Games in 1984 was the icing on the cake”.

By the way, the beginning of high level continuity can even be traced back to 1976…

“Yes, I would like to say yes: Italy (then Anderlini was on the bench) qualified for the Olympics in Montreal and since then we have not missed a single edition of the Games.”

Tell us about that bronze in the United States …

“A beautiful semi-final match against Brazil in Montanaro, in which we won 1-0 and then lost 3-1 to win the medal the next day. The Olympic Games were the birthplace of the USA Kirali and Doug Bell, those who revolutionized volleyball with specialists and many innovations that still resist today in the then volleyball, which was made up of almost world-class players.”

Today’s Italy has been a world power for decades now. “Italy is a continuous reality, we don’t talk about courses anymore. I think everything comes from a culture, from a knowledge that creates the foundation, a formulation that constantly produces good girls and boys. It also requires luck, of course, but there is also a lot of work.”

And Modena, what role did you play?

“Modena? Well, Velasco, Cantagalli, Bernardi and Lucchetta all made their debuts here, in an environment where Isola, Forlani, Montorsi, I was a captain and other expert players, humus coming from Panini and Anderlini, at the end of the sixties. Without this rule, perhaps the champions we all celebrate would not have exploded”.